Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 263 Nathaniel's POV "You talk like Annie doesn't have a choice," I said, leaning back in my chair to look him straight in the eye. Marcus paused, then leaned forward slightly, wearing that calculated smile that irritated me to the core. There was something about him that always suggested he thought he was three steps ahead of everyone else, like he was the only one who could see the whole board. "She has a choice," he said, adjusting his posture. "But it seems something is keeping her in London.

Something that's making her hesitate about accepting an opportunity that's clearly better for her career." He leaned forward even more, studying my face with a sharp, probing gaze. It felt like he was dissecting every microexpression, searching for any flicker that might reveal what I really thought. "Would that something be you, Nathaniel?" The question dropped between us like a live bomb. I kept my expression neutral, but inside, it landed like a punch to the gut. "No," I said, trying to sound confident.

"Annie is a competent professional who makes her own decisions based on rational criteria." But even as the words left my mouth, my thoughts were spiraling. Was it me, Nate? Was it Wanderer? Or was it simply the job she loved so fiercely? The truth was, I didn't know what really anchored Annie to London anymore. Was it her passion for the position she'd fought so hard to earn? The tangled, confusing feelings between us as Nathaniel and Annie? Or the intimate connection she was building with Wanderer?

Marcus laughed softly, a sound that made it very clear he didn't buy a single word of my answer. He leaned back, relaxing even further into the chair. "If it's not you keeping her here, then you won't have any issue encouraging her to go to the Imperial City, right? " he said, crossing his arms. "After all, it would be the best thing for her." Then he launched into a list, as if he were giving a corporate presentation, "Starting fresh somewhere far from all the gossip and rumors. Keeping her professional reputation intact in a region where no one knows the messy details of what happened.

and without that tension everyone with functioning

it?" I shot back, deciding to go straight for the jugular. "A new chance with the woman you called 'fun'?" Marcus's jaw tightened-just slightly, but it was there. The first crack in his polished façade. I'd hit a nerve. He didn't respond immediately, letting the silence stretch as he processed the jab. 1/3 "My personal motives

following a suspicion that had sparked during our conversation. "Joseph is pressuring you, isn't he?" I asked, watching him closely. "Now that Christian's settled and married, the old man is looking to the next grandson. The COO of Kensington Ascia." Marcus kept his expression neutral, but

but the fact that he didn't deny any of it told me everything I needed to know. Joseph Kensington was famous for his traditional values and his very clear expectations of how the family should conduct itself.

ideal choice in his eyes. Maybe even in yours, considering you're still obviously attracted to her." Marcus shifted-barely, but enough. It was the first real sign of discomfort, and it told me I'd

Imperial City is the best He stood and headed for the door, but this time there was a kind of urgency in the way he moved, like our conversation had revealed more than he intended. "Think carefully, Carter," he said, pausing with his hand on