Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 254 "I came to see you," he said simply. "What? Why?" I asked, completely thrown. "Can I come up?" he repeated, and there was something in his tone-almost amused. "I think we can talk better up there, don't you?" I hesitated. The last person I expected to see today was Marcus Kensington. Actually, the last person I expected to see any day was Marcus Kensington. Our relationship back in Verdania had ended in a... complicated way, and since then we'd maintained a very intentional distance. A distance he himself had set: me in Euradia, him in Ascia.

"Sure," I said at last, pressing the buzzer to let him in. I rushed to the bathroom mirror, checking my reflection. I looked like a disaster with messy hair, eyes slightly puffy from stress, and an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants. Definitely not how I wanted to look when facing an ex, especially one who always seemed like he'd been ripped straight out of a fashion magazine. A knock came a few minutes later. I took a deep breath before opening the door, putting on the most neutral expression I could manage. Marcus stood there, wearing that smile I knew far too well.

Tall, dark hair perfectly in place despite what must have been an international flight. Leather folder in hand. That annoyingly confident posture he always had. "Hey, Annie," he said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to show up at my London apartment unannounced. "What are you doing here?" I asked coldly, not moving aside to let him in. "Christian sent me to fix your mess," downplay a serious situation. I felt my blood boil. We replied with that playful tone he always used when he wanted to "My mess? My mess?" I repeated, my voice climbing several octaves.

"Thank your cousin Alexandra for this mess!" Marcus laughed under his breath, which unfortunately, was enough to make me step aside so he could come in. "Easy, Annie. I'm here to straighten everything out. I'll make sure the board doesn't bury you, okay?" He placed the folder on the couch and turned to face me. "Christian trusts me to handle this." "Why you?" I demanded, arms still crossed. "You're COO of Ascia. Nate is COO of Euradia. Shouldn't they have the same level of credibility with the board?

better yet, shouldn't Christian have even more since we're in Euradia?" "That's what you call him? Christian? Not... Carter?" Heat rushed to my face-like a kid caught doing something wrong. "We're friends." 1/3 +25 Bonus Marcus's expression shifted, his smile sharpening into something more serious. "Sure. Anyway... yes, he would," he said, looking straight at me. "If he weren't also in the crosshairs... for sleeping with a certain employee."

do you mean in the crosshairs?" "Annie, let's not pretend we don't know what we're talking about," Marcus said, stepping closer, slipping into that direct, negotiation-mode posture I remembered too well. "You slept with Nate, didn't you?" Heat flared across my cheeks, but I kept my chin up. "You don't have the right to ask me

"What are you actually doing here?" For a moment, Marcus's professional mask slipped. I saw something softer in his eyes-something that reminded me of the man I'd fallen for months ago. "I missed you," he said simply. The words hung in the air between us. It wasn't what I expected to hear, and definitely not something I wanted to deal with right now. "Marcus..." "Ever since I

that familiar cologne. "I remember you made me laugh in

had always been like this: charming, eloquent, perfectly tuned to find the words that melted through my defenses. It was part of what drew me to him in the beginning and part of what made everything between us so chaotic. "That was a long time ago," I murmured, though my voice came out less steady than I wanted. "It was," he agreed, lifting a hand slowly toward my arm. "But I'm here now. And you're here. And from the 2/3 sound of it, you could use someone who actually cares about you." +25