Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 293 Nate's phone was right there, in plain sight, sitting beside his elbow on the corner of the table, it hadn't buzzed with a new message, hadn't lit up with any notification. No sign at all that it had received anything, in the minutes since I'd sent my devastating question. I watched it discreetly while pretending to follow the lively conversation around us. Every passing second without a response gave me this fragile, misleading sense of relief, as if the silence alone could somehow undo the truth that was slowly crystallizing in my mind.

"Is your phone on 'Do Not Disturb'?" I asked casually, breaking my own silent observation. Nate stopped mid-bite and looked at me with genuine surprise. "No," he said, brow creasing slightly, "Why? Did something happen?" My heart started racing as I scrambled for a response that sounded natural. "Just... in case Alexandra tries to contact you," I explained quickly, trying to sound breezy, "If she needs to change the plans again or something" Nate nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation, though a flicker of curiosity still lingered in his eyes.

"Let's hope she does change them," he joked. And then almost on cue, as if the universe were determined to shred what remained of my sanity-a loud, sudden notification ping cut through the noise of the restaurant. I actually jumped in my chair, my body reacting before my brain could. Nate immediately set his hand over mine in an instinctive, grounding gesture, concern tightening his expression. "Hey," he murmured gently, his thumb tracing small soothing circles over my skin. "You okay?" But the sound hadn't come from his phone. It was Sarah's.

She was already picking it up, smiling down at the screen as she typed a quick reply. "Sorry," she said, not looking up. "My sister. She's sending pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits." Nate's phone remained completely still and silent on the table. I drew a long breath, feeling muscles I hadn't even realized were clenched finally start to unwind. It wasn't him. It was just another bizarre coincidence. Maybe I really was being paranoid, stringing together dots that weren't actually connected, building some elaborate conspiracy out of strange but explainable accidents.

men who... favored the same obscure pizza flavor. It was almost funny, if it weren't so deeply unsettling That was when another ringtone sliced through my thoughts. And this time I recognized it immediately. It was my own phone, chiming with the melody I'd set specifically for family calls. "Sorry," I blurted, grabbing it and seeing Zoey's familiar

beloved voices. The screen showed my whole family gathered in the mansion's living room with my mom and dad on the sofa, Zoey holding Matt, and Christian half visible at the edge of the frame. "Merry Christmas to you too!" I said, a wave of homesick tenderness washing over me at

Zoey said, turning the camera toward Matt, who was wearing an adorable little red `Christmas hat and drooling on his fist. "Say 'Aunt' to Annie, Matt. Aunt!" Matt looked straight into the camera with those big, curious eyes, opened his mouth, and

the screen, clearly trying to identify the background behind me. "That doesn't look like your place. Looks like a restaurant." I hesitated for a few seconds, then chose honesty. "I'm... spending Christmas with Nate's family." The silence that followed lasted only a moment, but it carried weight. I watched my mom's eyebrows lift slightly, and Zoey gave me that I knew

when exactly do we get to meet this Nate?" my mom asked, her tone equal parts curious and lightly investigative. "Your father and I are the only ones who haven't met him yet. Nate, had heard part of the conversation and leaned in a little with a questioning look, pointing subtly at himself and then at the phone. "He... he's right here and wants to say hi," I said, glancing up at him to make sure he really meant it. He

didn't need more than two minutes and a sprinkle of that natural British charm to win my parents over. "We're at a pizzeria in Bath," I explained. "Nate's family brought me to see the city." "Bath!" my dad exclaimed with genuine interest. "I've always wanted to go. Is