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Chapter 2
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2024-10-25 02:48:22Scarlett's POV
"It's true," Dad said, not making eye contact as he sank deeper in his seat, shame looming over him. I was confused. "What's true, Dad?" I looked between him and my mother was stood as a pillar, taking his hand in her's, providing comfort. "I embezzled the company's fund." He hung his head in shame. "Why would you do that? You were doing so well." I couldn't believe the man who sat right in front of me. My father taught me right from wrong and he would never do such a thing. The man before me wasn't him "I wasn't. The CEO gave us pennies and I wanted you to have the best of things. You went to private schools and got into one of the best colleges out there. I couldn't let your dream shatter due to a little money." He tried defending himself but his voice wasn't convincing anyone. "How much are we talking about?" My brows met as I eyed him warily Dad kept his lips shut, unable to say anything. I looked over at my mom who took a moment before saying,"About a million dollars." My heart dropped. "A million dollars! You embezzled a million dollars from the company's funds! How were you never caught?" I gasped with disbelief as I held on to my seat, trying to take it all in. "I would have gotten away with it but the CEO passed and with his son taking over, he wanted to know about everything and you know what happens from there." Dad was dejected, almost as much as the rest of us. Mom inched closer to me, taking my hands in her's eagerly. "You've met him, what's he like? Do you think he'll let this go?" Her gaze turned hopeful. "He is rude, arrogant and ruthless with his words. I think he plans on taking us to the ground." I replied honestly, there was no point in sugarcoating it. We were going to rot in jail. Mom let out a heartbreaking sob along with a whimper. I held her tightly as she cried in my arms. As much as I hated my dad at the moment, I couldn't blame him even though it was all his fault. He gave in to his greed and now has us all paying for it. We'd incurred debt that could kill us all and had little Hudson to worry about too. The poor kid was in the hospital for months now with no means of payment for his pending bills. Dad cut off my train of thought. "We should do it then, agree to his offer. It would save us all." "What are you talking about?" I inquired as Mom got out of my arms at Dad's suggestive words. "He wants you to carry his child. He'll drop the lawsuit and even pay us. He'd be out of our hair and we can settle Hudson's bills, it's a win." He seemed to only see the good side to it. I was going to be his prey, his slave, under his beck and call and I'll basically have no say over my life for the nine months I'll be with him. It was a huge no for me. Dad got to his feet in an instant. "I'll go call him right now." I got up at once "Don't! I can't- Mom came to me, watching me like a wounded animal ready to pounce on her at any moment. "Think about it, Scar. This could save us, Hudson. Your father won't have to go to jail. We won't be humiliated in front of everyone." "Mom, I would be selling my soul, you grandchild to him." I responded with teary eyes. "Your father would never survive in prison, Scar. He's already so frail. I fear he'd break at any moment. He'd die if he has to go to jail and I'd die too if I have to leave without my husband." "Mom! How could you say that? What about me? What about your son that's lying in the hospital bed right now!" "I'm nothing without my husband. I'm just a housewife and I'll be useless if he dies. It'd be best if I die with him." Dad intervened, jumping into our conversation. "Enough with the negative thoughts. No one is dying. Scar will accept his proposal and that's it." "I can't believe you guys are making me do this." The tears began to drop as I envisioned my new life. Trapped in a house with an arrogant, insufferable ass. "It's for our family. You'll understand when you have one of your own. This is what's best for us." Dad said, picking up the phone and calling his rude boss. I didn't pay attention to their conversation as I stormed off to my room, slamming the door shut to prove my anger to them. Sinking into my bed, I rolled up into a ball and cried my eyes out. I could imagine how I looked, eyes puffy with a running nose and swollen lips from all the biting. I wasn't sure but I cried for hours, staring at the blank walls and praying it was all a dream. My parents decision could ruin me and my dreams. If I did decide to get married, how would my intended family fill about me having another child out of wedlock. It could ruin us. Another sob racked through my body when I heard a loud knock on my door. "Scar, it's Dad." It came with a paused and a loud sigh followed. "He'll be expecting you tomorrow." It was Mom. "Please don't disappoint us." I picked up my phone, trying to drown their words from my thoughts. A text came in. True to their words, I got a message. I read to myself. "See you at nine."Related chapters
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Scarlett's POV "You can't be serious." My jaw dropped at the new contract laid out in front of me. "This wasn't what we discussed last time." He shrugged. "You shouldn't have disagreed with me." I eyed him warily, waiting for an explanation. He sighed, leaning in closer. "I just learned my family wouldn't accept a kid out of wedlock and I need one to get my inheritance. Something about proving how responsible I am." His voice was low, in a whisper. I snorted. He wasn't responsible and every tabloid out there would prove that. "Why are you whispering? We are in your office. It's not like anyone can hear us." He leaned back, giving off that powerful aura he always had. "The walls have ears." He stared me dead in the eyes, uttering his next words with a deadly threat in them. "No one can know about this, I don't care how close they are to you and I believe your parents wouldn't utter a word." I gave a fake laugh. "I'm not agreeing to this. This is insane." I pushed the contract a
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Scarlett POV "My family is expecting us in a few days. We need to make a good first impression, especially on my grandmother." He gulped his wine in one sip. He was really nervous. Somehow that affected me. I was nervous now. What if they didn't like me? As if reading my mind, he answered. "They'd love you. You just need to watch out for my mother. She's a little.." He trailed off, searching for the right words. "Cruel with her words." I gulped, my shaky hands aiming for my glass. "This is going to be fun," I whispered under my breath but he caught it and responded with a smirk. We were trying to play it cool but we were both nervous. My future is on the line from just one family meeting. It should be easy. *** * "This is her?!" A loud, screeching voice aimed at me yelled. "She looked better in the pictures you sent." I threw a quick glance at Aiden. What was his mother talking about? How did they get a hold of my pictures? The man I assumed to be Aiden's dad turned to his
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Scarlett POV "I need you to check in with my mother regularly. She refuses to let the family doctor near her." Her eyes fell closed and she took a deep breath. "She likes you. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." "I'm not so sure she'll let me. I just- She held my hands in a tight grip. "Just her blood pressure. She's starting to scare me, I need her alive." Her eyes were hopeful and this might just be my chance to get closer to all of them. If she was asking this from me, she was be helpless. "I'll do it." "She usually goes to sleep around this time. Her bedroom is by the left, you can miss it." I never expected to see her this way, pleading with a nobody. Somehow it made me happy, she seemed more human this way and as much as I tried to not get my hopes up, it did. I might just get her to like me. I knocked lightly before walking into Granny's room. She was wrapped in the warmth of layers of duvet. "Let me guess, Audrey asked you to check in on me." She shook her head, disap
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AIDEN’S POVThe surrounding noise dulled into a muted roar, overpowered by the heavy thuds of my heartbeat and the sudden hum of electricity in the air.Even in heels, Scarlett stood a full 6 inches shorter than me. And I could see the downward sweep of her lashes as her gaze honed in on where my fingers encircled her wrist. It was so delicate I could have snapped it without trying. Her pulse quickened, tempting me to prolong my hold before I came to my senses and dropped her hand like it was a hot coal.“A kiss?” Her voice echoed, cutting me off little random thoughts I was having a couple of seconds ago, as she stared back at me. “That was never part of the agreement, how many rules to go to make this less worth it?” She said breathlessly. My other hand finds her waist, wrapping my arms around her back to pull her close.“Don't make this harder than it already looks!” I whispered into her face through gritted teeth. Sensing that my mother had been standing by the door watching.
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SCARLETT’S POVI’d collapsed into bed three hours ago, my body exhausted but my mind racing like I’d injected it with a dozen shots of espresso.But surprisingly the door being swung open snapped out of my reverie, startled to find Aiden by the door as our eyes met. Without a word, he walked over to the bed and then grabbed a pillow as he went straight for the couch.I suddenly realized I’d been staring at him longer than I should, barely blinking like an idiot. Clearing my throat, I tore my eyes away from him.I slowly hated how it was that every time I closed my eyes, images from when he’d kissed me a couple of hours ago played on a broken loop in my head.His hands around my wrist, the graze of his fingers along my spine. The low rumble of his voice in my ears caused that one tingle beneath my skin.I groaned and turned on my side, hoping the change in position would shake the persistent memory of Aiden’s touch and rough velvet voice.But then, the more I tried the worse it was slo
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SCARLETT’S POVHer striking blue eyes turned to me. A look of disdain now displayed through her icy glare. “It's nice to finally meet you, Scarlett,” She said, but I could tell from the sound of her voice that she didn't mean it.“My pleasure,” I responded, forcing a smile at her as well. The awkward silence between us expanded as Aiden looked away. Obviously in search of what and who could get him busy and away from her.“I've heard a lot about you, it's so nice to finally meet you,” Her voice echoed, breaking the silence between us.Not knowing what to say or do, I forced a smile at her hoping not to continue the akward conversation. But for some reason I was forced to continue.“Really, I really do hope they're nice things,” I added, and just when I did she giggled.“Oh yes,” She responded.“Plus, you look great!” The brunette added.“Mr Vilarez!” A voice called from behind us cu
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SCARLETT’S POVI was going to say something - anything my brain could scramble in the heat of the moment. But as my lips parted slightly, I heard the beginning of his baritone as he leaned forward slightly, and said with the most casualness I had ever seen someone exude, “She came by the office and we bumped into each other. It was love at first sight.”Love.Hearing that word from Aiden took its meaning to a whole other level for me. Yet, it was the last thing I focused on. Stilling my racing pulse and the sudden increase in the temperature of the room, I swallowed and stopped myself from rolling my eyes. I would have said it was the most cliché meetup I had ever heard if I didn’t know those words so well, having them ingrained in my being.It was the same words I had said to Aiden and from his tone, I could tell he was doing it on purpose.A scoff sounded from the other end of the table, directly opposite where I was seated.
Last Updated : 2024-12-02Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 10
AIDEN’S POVI heaved a great sigh of relief as I stepped into the night, running a hand through my hair. Glad that I’d somehow gotten away from all that had back there.“We have the car ready Sir,” Miguel the chauffeur I had hired for the day announced.I looked over at my watch and realized how fast time had gone and how dark it was slowly getting. “Fuck!” I mumbled. With my eyes in search of Scarlett hoping she’d get the signal and would sort of make her way through the rest of the guests.Surprisingly, she appeared in the dark. The side of her appearing in the dark, with smooth skin, and red lips was forever engraved in my memory and I hated her for it. Her dress shimmering like stars painted on her curves. My entire body tightened. That fucking dress…“Get in the car,” I ordered, without even a single glance her way. Trying not to recall all that had happened back at the house a couple of minute
Last Updated : 2024-12-03
Latest chapter
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 81
I looked at myself in the mirror one last time to make sure that I at least looked presentable. The makeup was subtle, thank God, I didn’t want to look like some tramp. Sultry, and soft was exactly what I was going for. The dress was a deep burgundy, cinching at the waist and flaring out from there. He knocked again, and I knew I had to hurry up. Aiden didn’t like being kept waiting. I doubted he’d hate it if it were Odessa. I banished the thought from my mind and focused on the task at hand. We were going to the hospital to get this whole thing started. All I had to do was get pregnant.I packed my small purse containing a pad of sticky notes so that if there was anything I needed to put down when speaking to the doctor, I could do it. I also put in a pen, my earphones to listen to music on the way so that I didn’t have to hear him speak and get into my head, a pair of photochromic glasses and my lip gloss. He must have been about to knock, because his
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 80
Scarlett’s POVI was unable to sleep last night. Not because I was still livid at what happened in the study, but because of the hurt flashing in Aiden’s eyes when I talked about how I was just a spare. It seemed genuine in the moment, and when I shut the door in his face, I slid down the door and cried. I didn’t know why I was truly crying, but the tears kept coming. It felt like someone stabbed me in the gut repeatedly, then wrung me out and left me to dry. I felt raw, lost, exposed. His frame cast a shadow in front of my door for almost an hour, as if he was still trying to come to terms with what I said to him. I knew that the words were a slap on his face, but I wanted him to feel the anger raging for space in my heart. He deserved it. At least that was what I tried to tell myself. It was what I had been trying to tell myself all day. I knew it was selfish to have ever uttered those words, but I wished for him to feel how it felt to have y
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 79
Aiden’s POVI sighed, running fingers through my hair to relieve me of the stress. “Is she in?” Maria nodded. “Yes sir, she’s in her bedroom. I just finished changing the sheets and making sure the room was cleaned.” “Did you notice anything unfamiliar? Or familiar? I don’t even know what I’m saying at the moment.” She shook her head, her eyes going to the bunch of flowers in my hand. “No, no. Miss seemed like her normal self. Is something the matter, sir? Anything you need me to help you with?” “No, no. I just wanted to be sure if this was a good time. Dinner is set, right?” “Yes sir. I made sure the chef kept the covered food in the refrigerator, so it’s easy to heat up. Should I help you with that before I leave for the night?” I shook my head. “I can handle a microwave at least. Thank you very much.” “No problem, sir. I’m just doing my job.” She ambled away quickly, leaving me in the gloom of the living room. Rolling the bouquet in my hands, I went to the kitchen first to
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 78
Aiden’s POVDusk settled in the skies like a lover’s kiss, sending golden and purple streaks through a formerly blue sky. I watched the skies change color, the purple deepening like a bruise until it began to turn dark. This was one of my daily rituals - watch the skies, and think of my place in the universe. But only this time, I didn’t think of myself. I thought of a familiar flame-haired woman and her luscious pink lips, peridot eyes and skin like milk. I thought of her long fingers searching for pleasure in my hair, the breath from her mouth hot against my cheek. I’d been thinking of her a lot lately, so much that it threatened to take away my sanity. It was strange how she barreled into my life like a whirlwind, taking control of almost every part of me. It seemed rather beautiful, tempting even. She was a force to be reckoned with, a person with so much control of herself that she started breaking down at my heart, chipping away pieces little by little. I cleared my mind and
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 77
Aiden’s POVNow, I was different, a man who only had eyes for one woman. It was strange of me to admit that considering my past, but I wanted only Scarlett now. Not even Odessa could change that. “Leave me alone,” I whispered, trying to keep my cool. “You know, I’m doing you a favor, Aiden. Trying to right your wrong. You should know that means you owe me one.” Fuck. I hated owing favors, especially Odessa. She was a manipulator, a piranha that sank its teeth into your skin and never let go until she pulled flesh from bone. But I guess I didn’t have a choice now. “And let me guess, you want something I won’t be able to give you?” She sidled close to my side, her eyes glittering like jewels. Her body was pressed against mine, a softness I could feel through the fabric of my suit. But it was nothing like Scarlett’s. There was a softness to Scarlett, an intensity, a feeling that Odessa didn’t have. It’s what made her
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 76
Aiden’s POV My anger had become a tempestuous inferno, boiling me from the inside out as I stepped into the elevator. The text was fresh in my head, and the veins in my temples pounded with the beginnings of a headache. I didn’t know what made Scarlett come to this conclusion, but I knew it couldn’t be good. Contrary to what Odessa said, I knew how to study people. It was such a handy tool for negotiations and cutting prices. I read people’s thoughts through the darting of their eyes, the slight purse of their lips, the winding of a lone finger through locks of hair. I recognized frissons of desire through the change in pitch, anger through slight trembling of curled fists. But somehow, I was never able to read Scarlett. Out of everybody I knew and worked closely with, she was the one person I’d never been able to get a hang of. She surprised me at every corner, every turn. I’d like to say she’s impulsive and wild, none of that calculat
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 75
Scarlett’s POVI went to another page, and that’s when I saw her full name. Odessa Owens. The name struck a nerve deep in the wells of my memory, and I struggled to make a correlation. I knew I’d heard the Owens name before, but I couldn’t quite remember. I laid back on the bed with a sigh. My memory, like my heart, was failing me. Before long, I turned back to the page and continued scrolling through any post related to Odessa Owens. In one of the pictures, I recognized the other woman she was standing with, the golden complexion and bloodless elegance. Persephone! So, I was right about them being close. I read through the post, searching for any correlation. That’s when it came together and started making sense. Lady Owens! Sephy had spoken briefly of a Lady Owens on our trip, about them playing matchmaking with their children. So, Odessa was Lady Owens’ only daughter, and was next in line to be Countess of Bath. That was the connec
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 74
Scarlett’s POVI rose from the bathroom floor after so much time had passed. I didn’t know how much, but I didn’t care anymore. Not about the sales pitch I was supposed to send in, or anything else. I was raw, unfeeling, lost in the expanse of my own heartbreak. I was just some stupid girl, thinking I could make a beast become a man. How silly to believe in fairytales. “Fuck you,” I said quietly to the air in front of me, and sank onto the bed, the one good thing in any of this. The sheets welcomed me, a soft cloud of cotton floating around me. I stayed still for a few minutes, the image of Aiden leaning over Odessa playing before my eyes. I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. It was safe to say I was still in shock, and my heart broke all over again. Sighing, I picked up my phone. I realized there and then that I knew nothing about Odessa except the calculated guesses I’d made earlier about being close to Aiden enough to know his childhood
Surrogate Mother To A Contract Wife Chapter 73
Aiden’s POV“My sex life should not be the talk of the town!” I yelled, barely able to control my voice. “They shouldn’t be digging my claws into my personal life.” She scoffed. “Personal? There’s nothing personal about your life, Auggie. From the first time you set foot onto this world, your life has been out there for all to see. Our lives, in fact. We’re important people, and we’re born to distract normal people from their boring lives.” “What the fuck does that even mean?” “Don’t play dumb, Aiden. We’ve been in the limelight from the start, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it. Trust me on that. It’s why the public wants every chance to see us fall, to smear our names with scandal. You don’t have a personal life. Nothing is personal about your life.” I had the irresistible feeling that Odessa was telling the truth. The PR team sometimes kept me abreast of the situation of things with media houses and gossip blogs and
