Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 361 Madeline's POV Apollo had been gone for over an hour on a work call he'd promised would be quick, and since then I'd found myself sitting there, staring at the impeccably cleaned room, feeling his absence in a way that unsettled me. houldn't have missed him. We shouldn't have gotten to this point so fast. And yet, there was something about. his presence that had already become familiar, and comforting even. The way he filled a room. The way he smiled when he saw me. The way he made even silence feel easy between us.

I was lost in those thoughts when my phone vibrated on the nightstand, the sound irritatingly loud in the quiet bungalow. I walked over without much enthusiasm, expecting to see yet another call I'd been systematically ignoring since I ran from the wedding. My father. My mother. Vivian. Even Dominic, probably using different numbers, trying to convince me to come home and marry him. But when I looked at the screen, the name made me hesitate. Olivia. My cousin. My almost-sister. The only person in my family who had always truly been on my side. The person I shared an apartment with.

The one who knew me better than anyone else in the world, and who was probably worried sick by now. I let out a deep sigh and answered. "Madeline!" Her voice exploded through the phone before I could even say hello. "Where the hell are you? I'm freaking out! Everyone's looking for you, your parents are losing their minds, Dominic is-" "Olivia, stop," I cut in, my voice more tired than annoyed. "Stop? Stop?!" she shouted even louder. "You disappeared in the middle of your own wedding!

You left two hundred guests sitting there, your parents humiliated, and just vanished off the face of the Earth! You think I'm going to stop?" "Just... stop for a second." I heard her take a deep breath on the other end, like she was forcing herself to calm down. "Fine. Then explain it to me. Because no one understands what happened. Why did you run?" I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the same sharp ache in my chest that always came with the memories. It was still an open wound. It was one I couldn't touch without bleeding. "I can't talk about it right now," I said quietly, my voice thick.

that destroyed everything." The silence on the other end was so heavy I thought the call had dropped. Then her voice came back, softer, full of concern. "Was it really that bad?" "It was." I took a shaky breath, the pain rising all over again. "And it still hurts too much to say out loud." 1/4 25 Bonus "Madeline..." Her voice carried a

said. "But that still doesn't explain where you are. Everyone thinks you might've done something reckless, that-" "I didn't do anything reckless," I said quickly. "I'm fine. I'm safe. I'm... dealing with it." "Where are you, Madeline?" I looked out the window

smile from forming. "Not exactly alone..." The scream that came through the phone was so loud I had to pull it away from my ear. "Not exactly alone?! What does that mean? Madeline! Are you with someone?" "Olivia..." "Who is he? How did this happen? Where did

you tell me you're on your honeymoon with a mysterious guy?" "It's not exactly like that..." "Then what is it like?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair. How was I supposed to explain Apollo? How could I explain this insane situation without sounding

to God, if you don't give me at least one basic piece of information, I will track your phone and show up there-" 2/4 sonus "You don't even know where 'here' is." "Then tell me!" "No." "Madeline!" Olivia, listen." My voice turned serious. "I need you to promise me something. Don't tell anyone about this. Not my