Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 339 Victoria's POV The restaurant in Covent Garden was busy enough that my call would blend into the background. I chose a back corner table with my the wall, where I could talk privately. The hum of conversations around me created the perfect curtain of noise, masking anything I didn't want overheard. My heart was racing as I dialed the number I knew by memory. My fingers trembled slightly as I tapped the creen, and I had to take a few deep breaths before hitting call.

I'd spent days debating whether I should do this, weighing the pros and cons of getting involved, but my concern for Nate finally outweighed every doubt. "Alexandra Kensington," the familiar voice answered, professional and faintly impatient. "Alexandra, it's Tori Carter," I said, keeping the nerves out of my voice. The last time we'd spoken had been at that disastrous New Year's party. "I hope I'm not bothering you.' "Tori," Alexandra replied, her tone shifting instantly-more alert now, a little surprised. "What a surprise. It's been a while.

What can I do for you?" I could hear office sounds in the background. There were muffled voices, papers being shuffled. Alexandra was probably at Kensington headquarters, surrounded by the corporate power she wielded so effortlessly. "It's about my brother," I began, my throat tightening. "And the launch of the new organic wines at his wedding to Annie." There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the line. I could almost picture Alexandra straightening in her chair, her full attention locked in. "I'm listening," she said, her voice lower now, more conspiratorial.

I glanced around the restaurant, making sure no one nearby was paying attention. A couple of tourists were bent over a map, a businesswoman was typing furiously on her laptop, and a group of friends was laughing far too loudly at some private joke. Perfect. "I overheard something very worrying last weekend in Bath," I continued, lowering my voice to almost a whisper. "Nate was talking to Oliver in the garden, thinking no one could hear, but I was in the music room, and the windows were open." I paused, letting the tension build.

Levels far above what's allowed. It's the complete opposite of what the organic line promises." "My God," Alexandra murmured. "Are you absolutely sure about what you heard?" "I am," I said, summoning every ounce of conviction I had. "Nate was

her voice carried a gravity that made it clear just how explosive this information was. 1/3 "If this gets out, it would be

the launch, right?" Alexandra said. "He's always so by-the- book." "That's the part that makes me the angriest," I said, letting my real frustration show. "Annie suggested going ahead with the launch anyway. She said it was too late to cancel, that her sister Zoey had already moved forward with all the marketing, and that canceling now would be a disaster for Zoey's career." "She

the line. "How interesting," she said, and I caught the subtle shift in her voice, like she was smiling. "So our dear Annie is willing to put the

company and canceling this wedding before she completely destroys my family's reputation. She cannot marry Nate. Not when she's willing to drag his name and Kensington's through the mud for her sister's career." There was another pause before Alexandra answered, and when she did, her voice carried barely disguised satisfaction. "Thank you

no matter what you do, you'll protect Nate's image," I said. "You promise you'll help him, even if he doesn't understand right now that it's for his own good?" "Oh, darling, I promise," Alexandra replied, unmistakable pleasure coloring her tone. "That Annie truly doesn't deserve Nate, does she? Poor thing. So in love he can't see how she's using him. Rest