Chapter 3 My gigolo is a walking sin

July 16th. The grand ballroom entrance felt like a battlefield Serena was about to walk onto completely unarmed.

She kept checking her phone, nerves twisting tighter with every passing minute. Her gigolo—Jake—was late. For what she was paying him, he had no right to be late. She refused to walk into her sister’s wedding alone. She would not let Amelia and Ethan see the plus-size sister standing awkwardly by herself while everyone whispered about how he had traded her in for a thinner model.

Her phone buzzed with a message from Jake: Running late, but on my way. Serena rolled her eyes. A second later, the screen went black. Of course. She had been rushing all day and hadn’t charged it.

“Serena? Aren’t you coming in?” Grace, one of their mutual friends, poked her head out and scanned her from head to toe, clearly searching for the date Serena had promised to bring.

“He’s on his way. I’ll see you inside,” Serena said quickly, forcing a bright smile.

Grace nodded and disappeared back into the ballroom.

Where the hell is he?

Serena stared at the entrance, barely blinking. Her parents’ ultimatum still echoed in her head: attend Amelia’s wedding or lose the Hart name, her job, her apartment, and every door that name opened. She couldn’t skip it. So she had done the unthinkable and hired Jake to pretend to be her devoted date.

The doors finally pushed open.

“Thank fucking god,” she muttered.

The man walking toward the entrance was sin wrapped in an expensive black suit. Tall, broad-shouldered, and radiating quiet power. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his jaw sharp, and his piercing eyes swept the space with calm intensity. He looked even better than the photos she had seen when booking.

Before he could say a word, Serena marched straight up to him, grabbed his arm tightly, and pulled him close. “You’re late!” she hissed.

He frowned, clearly confused. “Excuse me?”

“No time for that,” she snapped, ignoring the doubt in his tone. She tugged him toward the ballroom doors. “Quick recap: I’m Serena Hart. My sister Amelia is marrying my ex, Ethan—the same man who left me for… some reasons.” She cleared her throat. “My parents will disown me if I don’t show up today, and I can’t walk in there alone and humiliated. I need you to pretend to be my insanely hot, devoted boyfriend for the night.”

The man blinked slowly, processing her words. For a second she thought he might pull away, but then something shifted in his expression—amusement mixed with intrigue. He didn’t laugh, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

“So… I’m getting paid for this?” he asked, his voice deep and smooth.

Serena huffed. “Are you kidding? Of course. That’s what I hired you for. And I’m paying you well, so just smile, stay close, touch me like you actually want me, and help me survive this. A few kisses if needed. Nothing too crazy.”

He tilted his head, now fully amused but playing along. “That, I can do.”

Her heart skipped. There was something dangerously familiar about the way he looked at her, but she pushed the thought aside. Right now she needed him.

“Perfect. Come on, I can’t be any later.” She kept a firm grip on his arm as they stepped into the ballroom.

Almost immediately, they spotted Amelia and Ethan near the front. Amelia’s eyes widened when she saw them, her gaze flicking over Serena’s curves with that familiar condescending pity before landing on the man beside her.

“Serena. You actually came,” she said sweetly, though her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “And with a date. How… surprising.”

Ethan stared, his smug expression cracking slightly at the sight of the tall, commanding man whose arm was wrapped protectively around Serena’s waist, hand resting comfortably on the soft curve of her hip.

Before she could respond, her fake date pulled her a little closer, his fingers giving her generous hip an appreciative squeeze, as if he genuinely enjoyed the fullness there.

“Why wouldn’t I come with her?” he said smoothly, voice carrying just enough edge. “Serena is incredible. Any man lucky enough to be with her knows exactly what he has.”

The silence that followed was delicious.

Amelia’s smile froze, and Ethan looked like he’d swallowed broken glass.

Serena almost laughed.

For once, she wasn’t the woman people pitied. She wasn’t the abandoned ex. She was standing beside the most attractive man in the room, and he looked completely comfortable with his arm around her waist.

Grace appeared with a glass of champagne. “Serena… aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Oh sorry. Where are my manners,” Serena said, gesturing to her date. “This is… Jake—”

“Jake Blackwood,” he cut in smoothly, saving her from fumbling the name.

“Blackwood?” Grace raised an eyebrow. “I don’t recall any single Blackwoods around here.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Jake replied with a polite but cool smile. “After all, I’m not single, am I?”

Ethan tried to regain the upper hand. “I haven’t heard of your family’s business before. What line are you in?”

Jake answered without hesitation. “We handle a range of investments and development projects. We buy struggling companies and turn them into what we like to call… monster companies.”

“Black Equity Partners?” Grace’s eyes widened.

“Yes. That’s the one,” Jake replied. “Although I’m more focused on other family investments these days. By the way, Ethan, how’s your company project going? I heard it might hit rock bottom soon with all the pollutant discharge permits it’s been getting.”

Ethan’s face went pale. “How do you know about that?”

Jake shrugged. “I have my sources.”

Serena’s jaw dropped. Jake’s grip tightened gently on her waist, reminding her to close her mouth. How? When had he found the time to dig up dirt on Ethan?

Amelia jumped in, her tone laced with doubt and pity. “This relationship must be very new. After everything that happened, I didn’t expect you to move on so quickly.”

The unspoken judgment stung.

“Don’t underestimate Serena,” Jake cut in calmly. “She’s far more impressive than most people give her credit for.”

Amelia smiled condescendingly. “Of course she is. I’m happy for you, truly. I was worried you might struggle after the breakup. But the two of you seem so… different. Like you belong in completely separate circles.”

“Or maybe,” Jake said, pulling Serena closer with a slow smile, “you simply never saw her real value.”

Serena’s throat tightened as old pain resurfaced. Amelia clearly hadn’t expected to see her with someone like him.

“Would you like to dance?” Jake asked, eyes locked on hers as if he could sense she needed an escape.

“Yes,” she answered immediately.

He led her onto the dance floor, his hands settling around her waist. From the corner of her eye, she saw Amelia glaring and whispering to Ethan.

“Don’t let them rattle you,” he murmured. “You’re incredible, Serena.”

A bitter laugh slipped out. “I’m just trying to hold myself together. She’s living the life I once pictured, with the man I thought I’d build it with.”

Jake looked straight into her eyes, no pity in his gaze. “If that life meant tying yourself to someone who didn’t appreciate you, then you deserve much better dreams.”

Serena blinked, caught off guard by his directness. Then, despite everything, a genuine smile tugged at her lips. “You’re impossible.”

“But worth it,” he replied with a wink.

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “Your eyes look brighter now,” he said quietly. “Not from joy, but from everything you’re holding back.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“This strong front you’re putting up must be tiring you out inside,” he murmured. “You didn’t deserve what they did to you.”

Emotion rose thick in her chest. How could he read her so well? “I don’t want to stay here anymore,” she whispered.

“I have a suite reserved upstairs. If you want to get the most out of your evening… we can leave this tiresome party and enjoy ourselves instead.”

Serena didn’t hesitate. “I’d like that.”