Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 244 Every step I took toward the glass door felt heavier. Charged. Like I was walking straight into a moment that would change something in a way I wouldn't be able to undo later. My heartbeat sped up. Nerves and determination mixed in an electric rush under my skin. I reached the ornate door. A cool draft slipped through the gaps, brushing over my heated skin like a quiet invitation. I lifted my hand toward the gold handle and drew a breath to steady myself. "Look at that..." Alexandra's cutting voice sliced through the air behind me.

Each word carried that venomous tone I had already learned to recognize. "Ready to parade around like nothing happened out there. I'll give you that. You're brave. But I wonder how far that bravery goes once the entire Kensington office starts talking about you." I turned slowly. She stood a few meters away. Perfect posture. Perfect hair. Perfect dress clinging to her perfectly curated persona. Her red lips curved into a smile that never touched her eyes. There was something predatory in the way she watched me. A cat who'd cornered a bird and was deciding how to break its wings.

"Alexandra," I said, keeping my tone neutral. She approached with slow, measured steps. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble like a warning. "You really think you can just pretend nothing happened on the terrace," she said, each word dripping with malice. "Think you can walk around being the perfect little employee after I made it very clear to everyone exactly what kind of... relationship... you have with the COO." "What kind of relationship?" I asked. My own voice steadier than I expected.

"The kind where you sleep with someone more important so you can climb the ladder." "Don't be ridiculous. Nate has nothing to do with my professional competence." Alexandra laughed. A brittle, high sound that reminded me of glass cracking under pressure. "Oh sweetheart, you really are naive, aren't you?" she said, stepping closer. "The truth almost never matters. What matters is the story people believe. And let me make one thing clear. The closer you try to get to Nate, the more I will make sure your life turns into a nightmare." Her eyes gleamed with something cold and vicious.

tree apparently. But then Zoey's words echoed in my mind. 'Don't let her win by knocking you down'. I straightened my spine, lifted my chin, and met her stare without blinking. "You don't control my life, Alexandra," I said. My voice was so calm I was surprised by myself. Her smile widened, slow and smug. 1/3 "Maybe not

paused. Letting the threat hang in the air. "Let's see how long it takes before you decide Westcliff isn't the place for you after all." We stared each other down in silence. The tension between us snapped tight. This wasn't about Nate anymore. Not really. It was about power. About control. About who would break first. And I refused

you try," I said. My voice stayed low and controlled. Alexandra blinked. She hadn't expected that. For the briefest beat, something flickered across her face. Surprise. Maybe even a reluctant sliver of respect. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, little girl,"

through the air. "Ladies and gentlemen, may we have your attention for the

stepping out from the side of the stage, composed, polished in his dark tux. He moved to stand with the other executives. Even with the distance between us and the crowd packed between us, our eyes found each other as if pulled by gravity. In that brief lock of attention, every