Chapter Twenty-sevenDiana's POVDiana spent the night in her husband's private study just to avoid Steve, she only returned to their room this morning after she was sure he had left the house!As she paced, the muted sounds of the world outside barely penetrated the room's walls. She could feel the anger simmering just beneath her composed exterior. Her foot tapped rhythmically against the floor as her eyes fixated on the phone screen before her. She was furious—furious that Celia was here, in her home, under her roof. Steve had brought that woman in like she was some helpless victim, and now Diana had to deal with it.The phone on her desk lit up, the word "Mother" flashing across the screen. Of course. As if on cue. She snatched the phone up, her voice sharp as she answered."Did you do it?" she asked without preamble, her tone accusatory, cutting through any pleasantries.There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, a silence that made Diana's blood boil further. Her mo
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTSTEVE'S POVCLASHSteve pulled into the driveway, his mind heavy with the day's work and the weight of his personal life. The sprawling estate that usually provided him with a sense of pride now felt suffocating, each stone in the pathway a reminder of the complications waiting inside. His job had always been a refuge, numbers made sense, deals could be calculated, and outcomes predicted. But lately, nothing felt predictable, especially when it came to the two women inside the house.As he killed the engine, his eyes automatically shifted toward the guest room window on the far side of the mansion, where Celia was staying. After the break-in, he'd felt it was the only logical decision to bring her here. She was carrying his child, after all. Protecting her was protecting his future. But what he hadn't anticipated was how deeply this decision would unsettle everything else.Especially Diana.Steve sighed, gripping the steering wheel for a moment longer before stepp
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEDIANAS POVDiana paced the length of their bedroom, her mind racing as anger and frustration coursed through her veins. Steve's words from the previous night echoed in her head like a broken record, haunting her every step. *" She's supposed to be carrying our baby, Diana. I can't just ignore her."* His voice had been calm, even reasonable, but to Diana, every syllable was a dagger to the heart.It wasn't just about the surrogacy anymore. It was about Celia—this stranger who had wormed her way into their lives, their home, and most importantly, into Steve's heart. Diana could feel the distance between them
CHAPTER THIRTY Steve's POVThe day Celia was discharged from the hospital felt like a turning point. It was a warm afternoon, the kind that made everything seem softer, more inviting. I stood by the entrance, waiting for her to appear, replaying the conversation I'd had with Diana earlier that morning before she left."I'm glad she's okay," Diana had said, her tone neutral. "Just… make sure she's comfortable in that new place."I nodded, not offering much in response. But there was something about her expression, the way her eyes lingered on mine, that had made me uneasy. Diana wasn't the type to be nice to Celia openly, but I could sense the suspicion simmering beneath her carefully composed exterior.When Celia finally emerged from the hospital, I couldn't help but smile. She looked healthier, more radiant than I'd seen her in weeks. Her hand rested gently on her stomach, though it wasn't visible yet but it was a protective gesture that tugged at something inside me. Our child was
CHAPTER ONESTEVE'S POV"Now that your father has finally decided that it's time to retire and hand over the company to you, don't you think it's proper that you and your wife start making plans to give the Williams family an heir at least your father and I can rest easy," my mother said for the umpteenth timeTrust my mother to bring up this kind of topic at such a time, she just couldn't let my wife be, I wish I had the liberty to move out, I would not have stayed because my mother had proven to be a thorn in my marriage.For a little context, my mother never liked Diana right from the first day I introduced her as my girlfriend for reasons best known to her. She made every effort to make sure the wedding didn't hold but it was either Diana or no one else.Today, my father called for this family dinner, my Sister Stella and her husband Nathan were invited, he had announced his intentions to retire hence handing over to me.My father was diagnosed with hypertension Five years ago on
CHAPTER TWOCELIA'S POV"Table five needs a waitress," Sam said looking at md"But I am covering more than half of the entire pub, could you assign table five to someone else?" I pleaded"If you don't want the job you might as well quit!" Sam threw back"Fine, I'm on it" I picked up my pen and note reluctantlySam was being extremely mean because I had refused to grace his bed as he asked, I didn't care though, at least I am lucky he hadn't fired me, if I were fired how would I afford to pay my bills?At 15, I dropped out of school to support my family, if only I had a responsible father, maybe I wouldn't have had to drop out. But my father being the drunk and gambler he was kept gambling with my tuition fee until we couldn't afford to replace it anymore after Mum's accident, I had to stop and start assisting with the responsibility.I am 24 years old and currently working four jobs to make ends meet, I barely get straight Five hours' worth of sleep. I take on side gigs on weekends ju
CHAPTER THREESTEVE'S POVI woke up with a strong migraine, I had drunk myself to a stupor yesterday night, I took a minute to glance around so I'd know where I ended up but to my surprise, I was sitting on a couch in my private suite at a hotel I owned, how did I even get here? Did I spend the night on the couch? No wonder my neck is stiff.I swayed my neck left and right to try to ease the tension, I reached out for my phone on the side stool only to notice a note placed under my phoneI picked it up, rubbed my eyes off the sleep, and took a look at the first sentence which read "Thank you so much for last night Sir""Shit!! Shit!! What had I done, I may have been angry with Diana but I would never intentionally cheat on her." I murmured to myself as I threw the note back on the table, partially too scared to find out what I did in my drunk state.Giving it a second thought and realizing that I could only handle the issue if I knew what I did, I decided to keep reading."I owe you f
CHAPTER FOURDIANA'S POV(Trigger warning ⚠️:Rape)I've been so restless since I got up this morning, trying to make up a good and convincing story for Steve to make sure he believes me. True to my assumptions Steve returned at noon the next day, and I saw him through the window packing the Porsche in the driveway, where my drama took place.I pulled out my menthol rub and applied it at the tip of my tear duct and in seconds I teared up and began pacing the room so I could run out of breath.I ruffled my hair and looked like a mess, I knew he couldn't bear to see me in that state. Immediately I heard the door knob turn I rushed to the door and flung myself onto his body the moment I caught sight of him.I was taken aback when he hugged me back and started patting my hair, "that was too easy" I thought. After a few minutes, I pulled my face from his chest and faced him, he moved me aside walked up to the couch, and sat down, I stood fixed at the spot we hugged and simply turned to face
CHAPTER THIRTY Steve's POVThe day Celia was discharged from the hospital felt like a turning point. It was a warm afternoon, the kind that made everything seem softer, more inviting. I stood by the entrance, waiting for her to appear, replaying the conversation I'd had with Diana earlier that morning before she left."I'm glad she's okay," Diana had said, her tone neutral. "Just… make sure she's comfortable in that new place."I nodded, not offering much in response. But there was something about her expression, the way her eyes lingered on mine, that had made me uneasy. Diana wasn't the type to be nice to Celia openly, but I could sense the suspicion simmering beneath her carefully composed exterior.When Celia finally emerged from the hospital, I couldn't help but smile. She looked healthier, more radiant than I'd seen her in weeks. Her hand rested gently on her stomach, though it wasn't visible yet but it was a protective gesture that tugged at something inside me. Our child was
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEDIANAS POVDiana paced the length of their bedroom, her mind racing as anger and frustration coursed through her veins. Steve's words from the previous night echoed in her head like a broken record, haunting her every step. *" She's supposed to be carrying our baby, Diana. I can't just ignore her."* His voice had been calm, even reasonable, but to Diana, every syllable was a dagger to the heart.It wasn't just about the surrogacy anymore. It was about Celia—this stranger who had wormed her way into their lives, their home, and most importantly, into Steve's heart. Diana could feel the distance between them
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTSTEVE'S POVCLASHSteve pulled into the driveway, his mind heavy with the day's work and the weight of his personal life. The sprawling estate that usually provided him with a sense of pride now felt suffocating, each stone in the pathway a reminder of the complications waiting inside. His job had always been a refuge, numbers made sense, deals could be calculated, and outcomes predicted. But lately, nothing felt predictable, especially when it came to the two women inside the house.As he killed the engine, his eyes automatically shifted toward the guest room window on the far side of the mansion, where Celia was staying. After the break-in, he'd felt it was the only logical decision to bring her here. She was carrying his child, after all. Protecting her was protecting his future. But what he hadn't anticipated was how deeply this decision would unsettle everything else.Especially Diana.Steve sighed, gripping the steering wheel for a moment longer before stepp
Chapter Twenty-sevenDiana's POVDiana spent the night in her husband's private study just to avoid Steve, she only returned to their room this morning after she was sure he had left the house!As she paced, the muted sounds of the world outside barely penetrated the room's walls. She could feel the anger simmering just beneath her composed exterior. Her foot tapped rhythmically against the floor as her eyes fixated on the phone screen before her. She was furious—furious that Celia was here, in her home, under her roof. Steve had brought that woman in like she was some helpless victim, and now Diana had to deal with it.The phone on her desk lit up, the word "Mother" flashing across the screen. Of course. As if on cue. She snatched the phone up, her voice sharp as she answered."Did you do it?" she asked without preamble, her tone accusatory, cutting through any pleasantries.There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, a silence that made Diana's blood boil further. Her mo
Chapter twenty-sixCelia's POVTERRORThe night was eerily quiet when I was abruptly woken by a series of unsettling noises. The sounds were coming from the sitting room, but before I could make sense of them, the house security alarm blared to life, casting harsh red flashes across the room. My heart raced uncontrollably as panic surged through me. I stumbled out of bed, my legs feeling like lead, and reached for my phone with trembling fingers.I dialed Steve's number, my hands shaking as I struggled to press the screen. The phone rang twice before Steve's concerned voice came through. "Celia? What's wrong?""There's someone in the house," I whispered, barely able to get the words out. "The alarm is going off, and I'm terrified.""Stay put and lock yourself in a room," Steve instructed firmly. "I'm calling the police and coming over right away."I ended the call, my breath coming in short, panicked bursts. I quickly chose the closet in my bedroom as my hiding place. Crawling inside,
Chapter twenty-five Just BeginningDiana's POVThe morning sun streamed through the windows of our room, casting a warm glow that did nothing to lift the chill I felt inside. The surrogacy process was about to begin and despite my best efforts to maintain a facade of calm, a storm of insecurities brewed beneath my composed exterior.Steve had been unusually gummy lately. Our weekend had passed in a rare, peaceful silence, filled with romantic gestures from Steve, a reprieve from our new normal. I had hoped this fragile peace would continue, but with Celia Garcia stepping into our lives as our surrogate or should I say "Steve's mistress", it seemed like every sense of normalcy was about to be disrupted. I was determined to regain control of the situation and ensure that Steve knew where his loyalties lay—right beside me, despite the unsettling presence of the surrogate."Steve, I'm coming with you," I declared firmly, as he prepared to drive Celia to his mother's selected fertility cli
Chapter Twenty-Four Steve's POVIt's been a week since I cheated on Diana with Celia, though I regret it greatly I couldn't help but desire more time with Celia.She was still angry at me because at the hospital four days ago I didn't give her a chance to talk to me. More because I was being hounded by Diana who has been asking why I didn't return home a week ago until morning.I sat in my office going through some files when I heard a knock thrice and I raised my head from the files and muttered"Come in"The door gradually opened to reveal my secretary. I had asked her not to disturb me for any reason so I sighed and asked"Is anything the matter?""Sir, your wife is here to see you," she says"What kind of office drama did she bring with her now?" I mumbled"Ask her to go, I have piles of work to sort through, and I can't have any guests when I return we can talk" I instruct"Okay sir," she says and walks out.I shook my head and returned to my work. In a few seconds, I began hear
Chapter Twenty-Three - "Can We Talk"Celia's POVIt's been two days since I lost my virginity to him yet I hadn't seen him, he hadn't called nor had he texted. Today was our doctor's first appointment day and I hoped he would come to pick me up.I walked into the shower to take a warm bath, I still felt sore down there after the night's experience.I turned on the water and it began to fall on me. I started with my hair as I shampooed it and washed off the Mint shampoo then applying my conditioner I covered it with a shower cap to let it sit while I scrubbed my body.As I took my bath I thought about the fragments of the night as I remembered them. He hadn't forced me. I have been fantasizing about him from the day we met at the event.What happened may have happened out of the influence of alcohol but I do not regret it. I needed to speak with him so he wouldn't think I was still angry at him.I rinsed off my hair and body before walking out of the bathroom. I plugged my hand dryer a
Chapter Twenty-Two - She Was PureSteve's POVI groan as I search for my phone to turn off the beeping noise. My hands grab a hold of it and I subconsciously press the power button to turn off the alarm before dropping the phone back onto the nightstand.I feel someone steer beside me drawing the Duvet to themselves. I try to open my eyes only to be hit by a pounding headache."Ughh!" I groan again as I rub my forehead in a bid to soothe the ache.I slowly sit up, resting my back on the headrest. I felt cold as the duvet was no longer covering me.I slowly opened my eyes and welcomed an eye-blinding flash of sunlight from the window. I look around the room not sure I know where I ended up.I glanced at my body to see I was naked out of shock I looked at the person steering beside me. There lay Celia Sleeping peacefully with light snores leaving her lips."Shit!" I hit my palm on my face not wanting to wake her"How did this happen?" I beat myself up inwardlyI may be having a bit of a