Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 363 Madeline's POV "How about we have dinner at the main restaurant tonight?" Apollo suggested while we were still finishing getting ready after the pool incident. "I'm tired of room service." You're tired of room service?" I laughed, adjusting my dress and watching him in the mirror. "Who are you, and what did you do with the man who ordered Kensington wine like it was water?" "Touché," he smiled, stepping up behind me in the mirror to fix the necklace around my neck. His fingers brushed lightly against the nape of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.

"But sometimes it's good to see other people, don't you think? Interact with the real world." "The real world?" I repeated, turning to face him. "I thought we'd agreed this place was our alternate reality." "Maybe it was time to test how our alternate reality behaved around other people," he replied, and there was something in his tone I couldn't quite name. The main restaurant was elegant without being pretentious, with tables arranged on different levels to offer privacy while still allowing a stunning view of the ocean.

The lighting was soft, creating a romantic but relaxed atmosphere, and I could hear subtle instrumental music blending with the sound of the waves. We were being led to our table when an excited voice called out, "Hey! You're the couple we saw snorkeling earlier today!" I turned and spotted a young Verdanian couple I recognized from the morning activity. They were seated at a table for four. She was blonde and smiling, he was dark-haired and easygoing. Both radiated that contagious newlywed energy that made them want to share their happiness with the world.

"It is you!" the woman waved enthusiastically. "What an incredible coincidence! Would you like to join us? We don't want to intrude on your romance, but it'd be wonderful to have Verdanian company." I looked at Apollo, expecting him to politely decline. Instead, he surprised me by shrugging with a genuine smile. "Why not?" he agreed. "We'd love that.' We learned their names were Julia and Raphael, both from Belmonte, on their honeymoon after two years of dating and six months engaged.

people who knew each other well and loved each other without complications. "And you?" Julia asked after we ordered our main courses, her eyes bright with curiosity. "How did you meet? You have unbelievable chemistry. You can tell from a mile away that you're completely in love." A spike of panic hit me. How was I

Greece," he said without hesitation, like he'd rehearsed the story for months. "That's where the nicknames come from, in case you're wondering. We've called each other that ever since. Aphrodite was touring ancient temples, photographing ruins and I..." he smiled, "I was trying to impress

he?" Raphael asked, clearly entertained and already invested. "Some of them," Apollo laughed, and it sounded so genuine it even fooled me. "But I made most of it up along the way. Lucky for me, she's terrible at

classical literature. Knows all the Greek and Roman poets by heart. Can recite Sappho like a prayer. 11 "And he never relaxes," I shot back, fully committing to the characters we were creating. "Even in Greece, he was always checking work emails, answering urgent calls. I had to literally hide his phone to get him to pay attention to the ruins." "What

commercial." "How romantic," Julia sighed. "A businessman and a literature teacher who met among Greek ruins. It's like a Nicholas Sparks novel." "She never mentions that she's afraid of

was so impressive seeing her snorkeling today." "I'm not afraid of water," I protested. "I'm afraid of not being able to swim back. Completely different things." "Of course it is," he agreed, with an indulgent smile that made me want to kiss him and punch him at the same time. "So cute," Julia smiled. "You two are absolutely perfect together. You can tell you complement each other, that each of you brings something the other needs.

moment, he'd forgotten we were only pretending too. The conversation carried on naturally until the end of dinner, flowing easily among the four of us. Julia and