Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 238 Friday afternoon rolled in with a different kind of energy. My apartment, usually a quiet retreat after work, was suddenly alive with upbeat music and the sound of my friends laughing. Zoey, Gwen, and I had decided to get ready together, turning the pre-party routine into its own little event. The coffee table was covered in makeup, wine glasses were scattered around the living room, and three different dresses were draped over the couch while I tried to pick one. "The black one is classic," Zoey said as she held up the sleek dress I'd bought last month.

"You can't go wrong with it." "But the wine-red one is bolder," Gwen countered, lifting the deep burgundy dress with the open back. "And that color looks gorgeous on your skin." "Decisions, decisions," I muttered, eyeing both. "Why does choosing an outfit have to be so complicated?" "Because you want to impress the charming Franconian," Gwen said with a mischievous grin. "Don't even try to deny it. I saw you melt yesterday when he kissed your hand." "I did not melt," I protested, though my cheeks warmed. "He was just being polite.

Franconian people do that." "Of course they do," Zoey said, laughing. "All Franconian men kiss random Verdanian women's hands in front of apartment buildings." "Okay, okay," I sighed. "Maybe I was a tiny bit impressed." "Aha!" Gwen crowed. "I knew it. Henry is perfect for you. Elegant, smart, successful, and clearly into you." While Gwen went on about Henry's virtues, Zoey shot me a look I knew all too well. It was the big-sister look. The one that said she could tell I wasn't telling the whole story. "Gwen," Zoey said lightly, "mind giving us a minute?

I want to show Annie something in the bedroom." "Sure," Gwen said, already drifting toward the mirror to touch up her lipstick. Zoey tugged me into the bedroom and pushed the door halfway shut. "Alright," she said, crossing her arms. "What's actually going on?" "What do you mean?" "Annie, I've known you since the day you were born. You might be excited about Henry, but something else is going on and you're not saying it." I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "Henry seems genuine," I admitted. "He's polite, interesting, respectful. He's everything I'm supposed to want.

to look for in a man. He was polite without being patronizing, smart without being arrogant, interested without crossing boundaries. No drama. No professional complications. No tangled past. He was exactly the kind of healthy, straightforward relationship any sane person would choose. So why did it feel like I was forcing something that should

hung up on Nate?" The question hung in the air between us. I wanted to deny it. I wanted to say I was completely over that whole complicated situation. But the words wouldn't

... impossible." "If you say so," Zoey said, though her tone made it clear she didn't buy it. We headed back to the living room, where

her own outfit. "Who are you going with again? You're still being all mysterious about this 'unexpected someone."" Gwen shrugged like it was nothing. I still caught the smile she tried to hide. "It's just a friend. We agreed to go together so neither of us would show up alone." "How convenient," Zoey said, amused. "And does this friend have a name?" "He does," Gwen said. Then the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," I offered, heading to the

up Gwen." My finger froze above the button. 2/4 "Matthew?" I asked, confused. "What are you...? Then everything clicked. I turned slowly toward Gwen, who was now very obviously