Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire: Kabanata 361 - Kabanata 370

Madeline's POV I had been wrapped in a robe on the deck, holding a glass of wine I'd barely touched, when I heard the bungalow door open. The weight of my conversation with Olivia still pressed against my chest like a knot that refused to loosen, and no matter how paradisiacal this place was, nothing seemed capable of easing the feeling that I was living inside a bubble about to burst. That was when I heard familiar footsteps approaching. Apollo walked into the bungalow with a different energy—almost radiant. He was wearing a light white linen shirt that only emphasized the tan he'd gotten under the Maldivian sun that day, and there was a satisfied smile on his face that told me his meeting had gone well. "Aphrodite!" he called, heading toward me. "You won't believe what I saw when I—" He stopped short when he really looked at me. "Hey. What happened?" I tried to smile, but I knew I hadn't managed to hide my mood completely. "Nothing," I said with a shrug. "I was just out h

Three Days Ago, Madeline's POV On the day of my wedding, everything around me seemed wrapped in an aura of anticipation. The atmosphere in the rented mansion where the ceremony would take place was thick with tension and expectation, as if every corner carried the responsibility of making this day perfect. My heart beat erratically, and every thought was a whirlwind of nerves and excitement. I ran my hand over the cool silk, smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle in my dress. For the third time. Or the fourth. I was nervous. Very nervous. This was the most important day of my life, and absolutely nothing had the right to go off plan. Not even an imaginary wrinkle in my dress. Facing the mirror, I stared at the reflection of a more dreamy version of myself. The wedding dress, a vision of elegance, fell softly to the floor in layers of fabric that seemed to float. There was something almost magical in every detail, from the lace bodice to the delicate embroidery adorning the skirt. The

Madeline's POV Silence. That was all that remained between us after I finished telling my story. My words still seemed to hang in the warm tropical night air, blending with the distant sound of the waves and the low murmur of other couples dining at nearby tables. I kept my eyes fixed on the wineglass in front of me, watching the candlelight shimmer in the dark red liquid, because looking at Apollo right then felt impossible. I'd told him everything. Or almost everything. I'd talked about the betrayal I discovered on what should have been the happiest day of my life. About finding my fiancé, whose real name I never mentioned, with the woman I believed was my best friend, plotting to use my marriage as currency in a game far bigger than anything I'd ever imagined. I'd talked about my parents, about realizing they not only knew everything but were willing accomplices, ready to sacrifice me for the so-called "greater good" of the family. I hadn't gone into specifics. I hadn't me

Madeline's POV The days that followed turned into a string of moments that felt lifted straight out of a Hollywood romance. Obscenely expensive wines I hadn't even known existed. Sex that left me breathless. Landscapes so unreal that sometimes I had to pinch myself just to be sure I wasn't dreaming. If my original plan had been to forget Dominic curled up on my couch with a bucket of ice cream and a marathon of dramatic movies, Apollo had been doing a far better job. My private gigolo, as he liked to joke, had proven devastatingly effective at his role. We spent entire mornings tangled together in bed, wrapped in Egyptian cotton sheets, exploring every inch of each other as if time didn't exist. Apollo touched me in a way that woke my entire body, as if every nerve ending had been designed solely to respond to his fingers, his mouth, the delicious weight of his body over mine. Our afternoons were filled with things I'd never imagined myself doing: diving along coral reefs while

Madeline's POV A laugh escaped my lips. Not a laugh of amusement, but something hysterical and shaky, born from the complete shock of everything that had happened in the last few minutes. The sound echoed through the room in a way that was almost unsettling, and when I finally managed to stop, the words spilled out without any filter. "You're insane," I said, shaking my head hard. "This is the most absurd idea I've ever heard in my life." Apollo kept looking at me with that seriousness that didn't match the utterly unhinged situation he was proposing. As if asking a stranger to marry him were the most natural thing in the world. "How can you propose to someone whose name you don't even know?" I went on, feeling a mix of disbelief and something dangerously close to hysteria. "This is… this is complete madness." "And is it necessary?" he asked calmly, as if we were discussing a dinner menu. "Knowing your name? I may not know your name, but I know who you are." "No, you don't,