Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire: Kabanata 291 - Kabanata 300

A few hours had passed since my conversation with Tori in the library, and now the family was gathered in the living room, chatting calmly while we waited for lunchtime. Elizabeth had prepared a few light appetizers, and Richard played a soft melody on the piano. That's when Tori walked in with her phone in hand, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. "Alexandra just texted," she announced. "She's going to be late because of the weather, but she said we can have lunch without her." I saw the relief flicker across Nate's eyes before he tried to hide it. "Then let's have lunch," he said immediately, in the tone of someone eager to take advantage of the opportunity to leave before the unwanted guest arrived. Elizabeth, ever diplomatic, raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe we should move our family meal to dinner," she said thoughtfully. "After all, it wouldn't be very polite to exclude Tori's friend, now would it?" Nate rolled his eyes almost imperceptibly and tried to push bac

Nate's phone was right there, in plain sight, sitting beside his elbow on the corner of the table. It hadn't buzzed with a new message, hadn't lit up with any notification. No sign at all that it had received anything in the minutes since I'd sent my devastating question. I watched it discreetly while pretending to follow the lively conversation around us. Every passing second without a response gave me this fragile, misleading sense of relief, as if the silence alone could somehow undo the truth that was slowly crystallizing in my mind. "Is your phone on 'Do Not Disturb'?" I asked casually, breaking my own silent observation. Nate stopped mid-bite and looked at me with genuine surprise. "No," he said, brow creasing slightly. "Why? Did something happen?" My heart started racing as I scrambled for a response that sounded natural. "Just… in case Alexandra tries to contact you," I explained quickly, trying to sound breezy. "If she needs to change the plans again or something."

The anger that ripped through me when Alexandra dropped that little bomb about Annie almost getting me fired was so intense I had to clench my fists under the table just to keep from exploding right then and there. It was exactly the kind of cheap manipulation I expected from her—throwing a sensitive, deeply personal issue onto my family's dinner table, knowing Annie would feel cornered and I wouldn't be able to react without turning everything into a scene. "What?" my dad repeated, clearly confused and now genuinely concerned. I took a slow breath, forcing my voice to stay even and controlled. "It wasn't like that, Dad," I explained, shooting Alexandra a sharp look. She was wearing that expression of fake innocence I knew far too well. "Annie got dragged into a lie about a supposed data leak at the company. When they found out we had… met before she officially started working there, a few members of the board thought she might have been involved in corporate espionage. And that

As soon as we pulled away from the Carters' driveway and hit the main road, I couldn't hold it in anymore. The laugh I'd been choking back ever since Nate refused to give Alexandra a ride finally burst out—starting as a snort and building until it turned into a full, genuine laugh. "I can't believe you actually did that," I said between giggles, turning toward him in the driver's seat. "I can't believe it either," Nate admitted, shaking his head with a half-smile that looked as stunned as it did amused. "I mean, she set it up perfectly. Right in front of my parents to pressure me into agreeing." "But you didn't," I pointed out, still grinning wide. "Nope." He ran a hand through his hair. "I was raised to be polite and gentlemanly, especially with women. My mom would kill me if she knew I refused to give someone in trouble a ride. But Alexandra has been getting under my skin lately." "That wasn't impolite," I said firmly. "I mean, you've got full permission not to be nice when

The hot water in Nate's marble bathtub was exactly what I needed after the last few chaotic days. I eased myself into the water, scented with the essential oils he always kept stocked—lavender and eucalyptus, the perfect mix for unwinding. The tub was big enough for two, with hydro-massage jets placed like they'd been designed for sin, and a breathtaking view of the city through the panoramic window. A detail that always made me smile, because it was so obvious he'd invested in comfort… and intimate moments. I rested my head on the cushioned edge and closed my eyes, finally letting my mind process everything that had happened. Steam curled softly around me, wrapping me in a warm, fragrant haze that seemed to melt away every last bit of tension. Despite Alexandra and every calculated little attempt she'd made to stir trouble, the whole trip had been shockingly perfect. Christmas with the Carter family had been warmer and more welcoming than anything I could've dreamed up. Elizabeth