Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 255 Nathaniel's POV Christian's words were still echoing in my head as I walked out of the Kensington building: "Then what the hell are you doing still not going after her?" He was right. While I sat there obsessing over corporate protocol and worrying about professional fallout, Annie was alone, dealing with a situation Alexandra had engineered with precise cruelty. If I really cared about her- and God, at this point I cared more than I'd been willing to admit I should've gone to her hours ago.

London traffic was especially brutal, but it gave me time to figure out what I was going to say once I reached her apartment. How did I explain that I'd failed to protect her in that board meeting? How did I apologize for being the one forced to give her the worst news possible? How did I show her that she mattered to me more than any corporate policy ever could? That was when I passed the little flower shop on the corner of Regent Street. It was a quiet place I used occasionally for corporate gifts, run by an older Valentian lady who always put together elegant, understated arrangements.

I pulled over, stepped inside, and was immediately met with the scent of fresh flowers and Mrs. Martell's warm smile. "Mr. Carter!" she said brightly as she came toward me. "What a lovely surprise." "Good afternoon, Mrs. Martell. I need something special. Classic red roses, maybe with some white filler. Elegant, but not too much." She nodded enthusiastically and headed straight for the roses. "Special occasion?" "You could say that," I answered, watching her choose each stem with deliberate care.

"It needs to be perfect." And while she arranged the bouquet, I couldn't help thinking about the strategy behind the choice. I was picking the exact type of bouquet Wanderer had described to Annie. Classic red roses with delicate white accents. If she made the connection... maybe that was better. Maybe that was an easier, less painful way for her to discover the truth than me stumbling through the confession. The idea that she might figure it out that the flowers could be a bridge between Nathaniel and Wanderer was strangely comforting. "All done," Mrs.

bouquet. "Beautiful, isn't it?" It was perfect. Elegant, romantic, but not over the top. Twenty minutes later, I was standing outside Annie's building. A modern development in Kensington, sleek and upscale-the kind of place designed for people who liked their privacy. I knew the building well; I'd lived in the same

to visit Miss Bennett on the twelfth floor." "Ah, the Verdanian girl," Thompson nodded. "Sweet one, that. Surprise for her?" He

together in a way that made me want to scream. "You can't just kiss me and think everything's fine, Marcus!" I snapped, wiping my mouth with the back of my

not?" he asked, taking another step toward me. "We always had fun together. It was good, wasn't it?" The casual way he said it only irritated me more. As if everything we'd been could be reduced to fun in his mind. "It was," I admitted firmly. "But that's the problem. I've changed, Marcus. I don't want fleeting fun or the same old games anymore.' "I Something shifted in his expression. His confident smile wavered, replaced by something softer. More real. "It's not just that, Annie," he said quietly,

change the fact that there was no future for us, when the doorbell rang. It wasn't the building intercom but the apartment doorbell. Which meant someone was already on the twelfth floor, standing outside my door. Probably a neighbor...