Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 375 Marcus' POV Alone in my apartment in Belmonte, I paced back and forth across the living room like a caged animal. Ever sce that conversation with Christian and Zoey, my mind had been on fire with everything I'd learned. Madeline Sullivan. Dominic Blackwood. A wedding in one month. One month. I had thirty days to stop the woman who had made me feel alive again from being swallowed by a marriage that could destroy her. I poured myself another glass of whiskey and stood by the window, staring out at the blinking lights of Belmonte in the night.

Every minute I spent without acting was time wasted. Every hour lost trying to process it all was one less hour to find a solution. And it wasn't just about her, I realized. It was about what she had given me, too. The first week of my life where I'd simply been Marcus, not a Kensington. A week where my choices were my own, where I could be exactly who I wanted to be. And now they were trying to take that away from her as well-the freedom to choose her own life. I grabbed my phone and started making calls. Turns out my last name has its advantages; I wouldn't pretend otherwise.

When you're a Kensington, you have access to networks most people couldn't even imagine. Lawyers specialized in corporate intelligence. Consultants who knew where to find information that never made it into public reports. Financial analysts with access to data that few people ever saw. My first call was to Robert Marquis, a corporate lawyer who had worked for my family before in... delicate situations. "Marcus?" His voice sounded surprised. "What a pleasure to hear from you. What can I do for you?" "I need discreet information on two companies," I said, getting straight to the point.

"Sullivan Entertainment, and anything connected to Dominic Blackwood." "May I ask why?" "You can ask," I replied, keeping my tone friendly but firm, "but I won't answer. How long do you need?" "For a Kensington?" he said lightly. "By tomorrow morning." The second call went to Helen Castle, a financial consultant who knew the underbelly of the Verdanian market better than any official analyst. "Helen, I need everything you know about mergers and acquisitions involving family entertainment-and Dominic Blackwood." "That's very specific," she laughed.

night. I was in my home office, surrounded by papers and glowing computer screens,

and strategic partnerships. Valuable real estate assets, but a failing operation. Dominic Blackwood: A respected businessman in the mergers and acquisitions sector, specializing in "saving"

you know what I mean." Helen was even more precise. "Blackwood is smart. He buys companies with solid physical infrastructure but broken operations. Then, somehow, they become wildly profitable overnight. How? No one asks, as long as the profits show

That's when I understood I was dealing with something far bigger and far more dangerous than I'd first imagined. This wasn't just a controlling man forcing a marriage. It was a sophisticated criminal operation that depended on the legitimacy of the Sullivan

plans or take drastic action. That's when a sentence came rushing back to me with renewed force. Something Madeline had said during our week together, in one of the rare moments she'd spoken about her real life. "My cousin is the only person I can

her every move, that would be impossible, maybe I could reach someone she'd trust with her life. I picked up the phone again and called Robert. "I need one more thing," I said when