Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 142 +25 Bonus Chapter 142 Christian was still buttoning the last few buttons of his shirt when I opened the door to find Annie and Marcus on the other side. My sister burst in like a hurricane, all energy and excitement about her "important news," while Marcus followed behind her, looking serious-so serious it clashed hilariously with her mood. It didn't take long to notice the tension between them. They kept a polite distance, one that hadn't existed before. "Hey, sis!" Annie greeted, kissing my cheek before pausing midstep.

Her eyes darted between me and Christian, her brows shooting up. "Okay, why do you two look like you just ran a marathon? And why does Christian look like he lost a fight with his hairbrush?" My face went up in flames as I tried to smooth my hair. "Annie," I muttered, mortified. "Ohhh," she said, laughing when she saw Christian's expression. "Got it. Sorry for the timing, but I swear this is important!" "It better be," Christian said under his breath, though his tone was playful as he ran a hand through his hopelessly messy hair.

"Can I get you something?" I asked, desperate to shift the focus. "Coffee? Water? Something to eat?" "Coffee would be great," Marcus said, dropping onto the couch where Christian and I had been sitting just minutes earlier. There was a stiffness in his posture that didn't go unnoticed. "I want to see what kind of weird stuff you've been eating lately," Annie said, trailing me into the kitchen with her usual little-sister curiosity. "Matthew told me about your pregnancy cravings.

He said Dad nearly had a heart attack when he saw you eating chocolate with sardines." I rolled my eyes as I started the coffee maker, trying to hide a grin. "They're not that weird. Just... creative combinations." "Zoey, chocolate and sardines isn't creative. It's a crime," Annie said, opening the fridge like she lived there. "Oh my God, what is this?" She'd found my bowl of vanilla ice cream with sliced pickles and mustard, spoon still inside. "My late-night snack," I said proudly. "It was delicious.

Want to try?" "Absolutely not," Annie said with a horrified face that made me burst out laughing. "That's worse than when you mixed tuna pizza with condensed milk." "Hey, I was eight!" I said, laughing. "And you ate it too!" "Because I was seven and thought you were a genius," she shot back, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl like it was the safer life choice. "Now I have taste buds-and self-respect." We returned to the living room with a tray of coffee and whatever cookies I'd managed to find in the pantry.

Annie said, settling into an armchair and taking a sip of coffee

how?" Annie pressed, flashing that mischievous grin that always spelled trouble. "Fine like 'we're still figuring things out after all the chaos,' or fine like 'thank God we finally got a few minutes alone to remember why we got married'?" "Annie!" I groaned, certain my face was the color of a ripe tomato. "What?" she said innocently,

you die of embarrassment." Christian chuckled quietly beside me, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "Your sister is... direct," he said, eyes glinting with amusement. "Speaking of being direct," Marcus cut in suddenly, setting his coffee cup down with a sharp clink that instantly drew everyone's attention, "we have important news to share. And it's not good." The mood in

nervous twist formed in my stomach.. "What did you find?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended. "We found the driver," Annie said, her tone steady but

random, but hearing confirmation out loud made it horrifyingly real. "And?" Christian asked, his voice low but taut with tension. "He confirmed everything," Marcus said, each word landing heavy in the silence. "He was paid to cause the crash. Three thousand dollars to 'get you out of the way

I asked, though part of me didn't want

completely rigid beside me, every muscle tightening. I watched his hand ball into a fist on the arm of the couch. "Who hired him?" he asked, voice dangerously low and controlled. 2/4 Chapter 142 +25 Bonus "Elise," Annie answered without hesitation. "We showed Carl photos of her and Francesca. He identified Elise immediately, no doubt." "Son of a bitch," Christian muttered, and I saw pure fury flash in his eyes. "There's more," Annie continued,

protection." I went quiet for a long, stunned beat as I processed the new information. If Alex truly had no idea his car was being used... "Then Marcus's theory was completely off," I said at last, feeling a strange