Chapter 9: Past and present addiction

From that moment till the date of the surrogacy selection, Donn’s mind didn’t rest on the anticipated thought of seeing Rose. Call it a little boy’s excitement to see his crush or even the desire for a wish to come true. Either ways every fiber in him longed to set his eyes on her.

Finally the day came and as expected Donn had Franklin clear his schedule. After a conference meeting in the morning every other delegation was placed on hold as he walked out of Maston Corp.

His drive led straight home to Sterling estate Castilo Manor where he was informed on the arrival of the ladies.

The rest information was irrelevant to him because all he cared about was seeing her so he took long strides in that direction and immediately the hallway doors opened up his eyes rested on a petite figure.

She didn’t have long legs or needlessly large bosoms. Her frame was petite and she was endowed in the right places. It was like looking at the vast galaxy through a tiny window.

Her hair, blonde was tied in a pony making her look sharp but that also exposed her thin neck and jawline to his prying eyes.

His gaze lasted for a second longer before withdrawing them. All eyes rested on him so staring at her would’ve caused suspicions.

He played it cool and sent everyone else away without sparing her a glance, whereas his insides were itching to fixate on her.

In that moment while he took his seat behind the study desk waiting for her to come in. He felt a weird emotion, something he’s never felt before surged through his mind.

Suddenly his palms got sweaty and his throat dry. The feeling was unimaginable for Donn but that was a common thing for people called ‘nervousness’.

He was freaking nervous! Who wouldn’t be?

He spent the last thirteen years watching her from afar, studying what she likes, what she does, where she goes…like a total maniac!

Of course he didn’t have bad intentions but his obsession drove him to protect a girl that had no idea who he was, until the news of her father’s death brought his identity to light, but not as her stalker but as her father’s murderer!

Now he was finally going to face her like a normal human. Not hiding behind the window of his car with black shades covering his eyes, not having someone order coffee from the counter where she worked part-time and instead of drinking the coffee, he’ll just stare at it for hours or place it on his working table like it’s decor!

Instead they were going to meet and possibly talk normally.

The door to the study opened and Donn immediately looked down on his paperwork, clearly his nervousness hadn’t dissipated because the document he held was turned upside down!

He looked up when she asked a question and was stunned. The sight of oceanic blue eyes staring at him was captivating but he didn’t miss the sharp gaze of distrust lurking under that stare.

Her eyes were hardened towards him, they weren’t like the ones he saw from afar across the street when she smiled to customers. These were cold and filled with distain. It was obvious that she only looked at him that way. Her face bore no trace of a smile or even a pleasant appearance!

The look on her face instantly bursted the bubbles of excitement in Donn’s belly.

What was he expecting?

A warm embrace?

She f*cking hates him and he knows that, still it hurts to be reminded.

Watching her expression towards him made him think of Jake. The thought of her looking at him affectionately brewed anger within him and he found himself saying things like… “why don’t you go ask your fiancé?”

He didn’t even realize how harsh his tone was because he was too consumed by the jealousy eating him up and that’s when an utterly ridiculous thought hit him.

The contract never stated the process of the surrogacy. It only implies on the terms of party A. He is party A and gets to decide basically everything involved in the surrogacy.

Donovan Dalgliesh was a man of many names but he was never one to be called a virtuous man!

Hearing Rose defend Jake triggered a sense of selfishness within him.

He had always wanted her but right now he not only desires her but wants to consume her to the extent where she only thinks of him. He wants her to be his alone!

It was this beastly desire of his that caused him to refrain from approaching her all these years. Now it’s too late for that, his mind was in a full-blown rampage. He wants Jake out of her life and memories!

This thought kept ringing in his head as he watched her walk over and sign the contract.

The closer steps she took to the desk made his senses tighten. Her scent filled his nostrils. They were like a garden of a thousand flowers embedded into a person.

He took a couple of silent sniffs to savor it all and his cock zinged with joy, a feeling he fought hard to overcome but that didn’t stop him from revealing his crafted plan to ruin her relationship with her fiancé.

He enjoyed seeing tons of emotion flash through her face, all the while she had been acting stoic but now she looked shocked, maybe even a little terrified of his words.

Having babies the natural way was a brilliant idea to make her his but also a painful road down the lane of rejection because she looked completely disgusted by his words.

The irritation in her eyes could not be concealed and it made Donn feel a tightening in his chest, not to mention how she kept rambling on about ‘Jake!’

Shortly after, she left and the door opened to reveal the head maid.

“Take my orders. Arrange a room for Rose, show it to her now before she leaves Castilo Manor”

“Yes sir, right away”

To Donn this is only the beginning…

She’ll be back and when that time comes, he’ll never let her go!

The maid took a deep bow and left leaving only Donn in his second-floor study. To be precise it was more like a library. His real study was upstairs, that’s where he spent most of his nights since it’s pointless to lay in bed without sleeping.

He leaned back into his swiveling chair, the look on his face was filled with amazement as he said.

“Just when I let you go you show up, so it’s true what they say… If you let something go and it’s really meant for you, it’ll find you…”

“…What to do? This time I really won’t let you go Rose because you’re my past and present addiction”

Time flew after this encounter and a week passed. Donn was in his office and that’s when a knock on the door caught his attention.

It was Franklin. He let himself in

“Donn, you should see this”

He past Donn an envelope with pictures inside.

“I did some digging on Jake…he is not what he claims to be to Rose, you can’t let her be with him”

Donn took a careful look at the pictures, his eyes preying on them one at a time. While Franklin had a panicked look, he couldn’t read Donn’s expression. Still, at the very least he expected an outburst but instead, Donn looked up at him and voiced.

“Interesting…”

The smirk tugging his lips stretched when he added. “I doubt Rose is aware of this”

“Of course not, but I think she’ll find out tonight at the Prima Donna of England Opera display”

“Is that so? Then there’s gonna be a show tonight. I wonder how she’ll react when she finds out. Do you think she’ll still think so highly of him?…I can’t wait to find out!”