Chapter 14"Good morning, Julian!" Scarlett exclaimed as she noticed Julian approaching from nearby."Hey... good morning to you, too! I didn't expect you to be up this early. How did you sleep last night?" Julian asked while making his way to the dining table."Honestly, I struggled to get a good night’s sleep, but I managed to rise early enough for work," Scarlett joked, prompting a chuckle from Julian."I can tell you definitely woke up early enough to prepare all this amazing food," Julian commented as he grabbed a slice of toast.Scarlett laughed lightly while she placed the pancakes on the table and took her seat."As I said, my sleep was restless, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to whip up breakfast. It’s the least I can do, considering all the support you’ve given me," Scarlett said while enjoying her meal. She felt immense gratitude towards Julian. "Come on, stop with the gratitude. Just make sure to give me some cash when you receive your first paycheck!" Julian quipp
Chapter 15“Glad you already met her, Grandma. This is Scarlett, my fiancée.” Damon said, smiling at his grandmother. “What?” Scarlett asked, shocked. Damon walked over to Scarlett and put a hand over her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You good, Scarlett?” Damon asked, his eyes showing concern.“Yeah, are you alright, daughter?” Grandma asked.Scarlett stared, willing her mouth to open but finding no words.“Scarlett?” “Yes… Yes, I'm fine. I'm good,” Scarlett said, finding her voice. “I'll just get something to clean this up.”“Oh, don't worry about it, it'll be sorted,” Damon said, signaling to one of the office staffs to clean the mess.“So you already got a wife and you didn't inform me? Is that what it is now, Damon?” Grandma asked, her eyes lit with pleasure. “Well, we were planning to make it a surprise, Grandma,” Damon replied, smiling and turning to Scarlett. He gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze. “Right, Scarlett?”Scarlett had never felt so confused in her
Chapter 16Scarlett couldn't believe her ears. What the hell was going on here?“What are you talking about? Because I don't seem to understand. Become your pretend wife? How? What does that even mean?” Scarlett asked, looking visibly confused.“Okay, calm down, Scarlett. There's an explanation to all of this,” Damon said.“Then start explaining immediately, because I don't get how you just met me for the first time today and you're asking me to be your pretend wife — whatever that means,” Scarlett said.Damon sighed heavily. He knew it'd be hard, but he didn't expect it to be this difficult. He wished Julian was here to save him.“My last relationship failed. We had a misunderstanding because I had to do a sur—” he paused immediately. Was he about giving himself away right now? “Scratch that. I got into a venture my ex didn't support and she wasn't patient enough to understand what I was trying to do, and then she cheated. I had to break up,” he said.Scarlett was losing her patience
CHAPTER ONE: AARON’S SURGERYSCARLETT’S POVToday is the day I decide to carry another man's child in my womb, while still married to my husband, Aaron.I know it sounds so crazy, but I have thought of a thousand reasons to back out of this decision, yet nothing else holds me down as much as the fear of losing my husband. The last time I spoke to the doctor, I was warned that if Aaron didn't get a surgical operation within the next four weeks, he would be at risk of dying.The burden to raise the money for his surgery fell solely on my shoulders, and his mother wasn't taking it easy on me at all as she told everyone who cared to listen that I was the reason behind her son's misfortune. She never accepted me as her daughter-in-law, anyways.When I first saw news of an unknown billionaire who needed a woman to bear a child for him through surrogacy, I had applied nonchalantly, without any expectations.Early this morning, a strange number called me, informing me of my scheduled intervi
CHAPTER TWO: LET'S SIGN THIS!SCARLETT’S POV"Are you dumb?" A voice asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.I looked up at the masked man before me and it felt like my tongue had been tied, because I wasn't even able to speak. Rather, I shook my head, and started to cough.He leaned back on his chair, folding his arms across his chest. I knew he was watching me through the mask and worry gnawed through me."I asked you a question." He said.I let out a harsh breath and mumbled, "Yes, yes. I am very sure about this. What are the terms of the contract, please?""Almost everything has been stated in the document you shall sign next week. However, I have to make certain things clear."I bobbed my head as I clenched my fists, waiting for him to continue. At this point, I was ready to do just anything, as long as I got the money for my husband's surgery."Are you married?" He blurted.The question threw me aback as I wondered if my response would make me to lose this deal.."Uh! Yes..yes..oh
CHAPTER THREE: MISSION OVER, SCARLETTSCARLETT’S POVFour Weeks Later.As I stared at the test strip in my hands, relief washed over me. The two lines were boldly visible on the strip, confirming what I already knew."Finally. it's real" I muttered under my breath, breaking into tears.I was pregnant with the masked man's baby. I had spent the last few weeks, living in complete fear of not not being able to get pregnant, despite how much I had been paid.I was even more worried that the masked billionaire would silently kill me here in Italy and no one would know. Well, no one actually cared enough to call me, even after I left the country.There was a sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach as I rubbed my flat belly, trying to imagine what my child looked like. Would the child turn out to have a striking resemblance with the masked billionaire, or with me, its mother? I was consumed with worry that I might never know the gender of the child in my womb, as the masked man made it cl
CHAPTER FOUR: BIG SHOCK!SCARLETT’S POV"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have arrived at San Diego International Airport, California." A loud voice announced from unseen speakers, "Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing. Local time is 10:45 AM. We hope you have enjoyed your flight, and we thank you for choosing our airline."My heart skipped a beat as I sat up straight. I had been on this flight for what felt like an eternity, and the thought of finally getting back home made me nervous.Ever since my child was taken away from me in Italy, my heart was shattered. I knew that I wasn't supposed to get attached to the baby, but I hadn't even gotten a chance to look at it, or even hold it in my hands.I glanced around the cabin. My fellow passengers were stirring, some yawning, others checking their phones or gathering their belongings.As the plane began its descent, I shut my eyes and thought of my husband, Aaron. Ever since I left the country, he h
Chapter 5 Scarlett ran down the flight of stairs, and her vision became blurry as her eyes filled up with hot tears which streamed down her cheeks. She stumbled as she got to the sitting room and as she got up, my eyes came face to face with a life-sized picture of her and Aaron, hanging on the wall. She stared hard at the picture for a long time and shook her head wistfully as the memories came flooding. From where she stood, she could still hear Adriana’s loud giggles from the bedroom floating down to the living room. Or maybe it was her head. Sobbing, she looked around the house one last time and with a heavy sigh, she picked up her suitcase and left the apartment. Confused and tired, she walked down the street. “But where do I go from here?” She asked herself as she stopped and looked around the street and saw so many strange faces. It dawned on her, she knew nobody and had no one to run to—friend nor family—and the sad reality that Aaron had been her entire world irked h
Chapter 16Scarlett couldn't believe her ears. What the hell was going on here?“What are you talking about? Because I don't seem to understand. Become your pretend wife? How? What does that even mean?” Scarlett asked, looking visibly confused.“Okay, calm down, Scarlett. There's an explanation to all of this,” Damon said.“Then start explaining immediately, because I don't get how you just met me for the first time today and you're asking me to be your pretend wife — whatever that means,” Scarlett said.Damon sighed heavily. He knew it'd be hard, but he didn't expect it to be this difficult. He wished Julian was here to save him.“My last relationship failed. We had a misunderstanding because I had to do a sur—” he paused immediately. Was he about giving himself away right now? “Scratch that. I got into a venture my ex didn't support and she wasn't patient enough to understand what I was trying to do, and then she cheated. I had to break up,” he said.Scarlett was losing her patience
Chapter 15“Glad you already met her, Grandma. This is Scarlett, my fiancée.” Damon said, smiling at his grandmother. “What?” Scarlett asked, shocked. Damon walked over to Scarlett and put a hand over her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You good, Scarlett?” Damon asked, his eyes showing concern.“Yeah, are you alright, daughter?” Grandma asked.Scarlett stared, willing her mouth to open but finding no words.“Scarlett?” “Yes… Yes, I'm fine. I'm good,” Scarlett said, finding her voice. “I'll just get something to clean this up.”“Oh, don't worry about it, it'll be sorted,” Damon said, signaling to one of the office staffs to clean the mess.“So you already got a wife and you didn't inform me? Is that what it is now, Damon?” Grandma asked, her eyes lit with pleasure. “Well, we were planning to make it a surprise, Grandma,” Damon replied, smiling and turning to Scarlett. He gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze. “Right, Scarlett?”Scarlett had never felt so confused in her
Chapter 14"Good morning, Julian!" Scarlett exclaimed as she noticed Julian approaching from nearby."Hey... good morning to you, too! I didn't expect you to be up this early. How did you sleep last night?" Julian asked while making his way to the dining table."Honestly, I struggled to get a good night’s sleep, but I managed to rise early enough for work," Scarlett joked, prompting a chuckle from Julian."I can tell you definitely woke up early enough to prepare all this amazing food," Julian commented as he grabbed a slice of toast.Scarlett laughed lightly while she placed the pancakes on the table and took her seat."As I said, my sleep was restless, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to whip up breakfast. It’s the least I can do, considering all the support you’ve given me," Scarlett said while enjoying her meal. She felt immense gratitude towards Julian. "Come on, stop with the gratitude. Just make sure to give me some cash when you receive your first paycheck!" Julian quipp
Chapter 13Following her discussion with Julian, Scarlett was left bewildered, thinking that things couldn't have turned out better. He'd just given her hopes of a job, and she didn't even care if it was in another country. Scarlett still thought it worth giving it a shot. It was better than sitting home all day, bored and doing absolutely nothing.That night, after completing her usual routine, Scarlet was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock at her door.At first, she chose to ignore the noise because she wasn't expecting anyone. However, the knocking persisted, getting her irritated. She was tired and needed to sleep.Not knowing who might be at her door, she decided to open it after a deep sigh.To her surprise, when she unlocked the door, there was nobody there, leaving her bewildered.She had heard the knocking repeatedly, not just once or twice, yet upon checking, it was completely empty outside. “What's going on?”Her heart began to race as unsettling thoughts crosse
Chapter 12 “Hold on,” Damon said, suddenly sitting up from his previous reclined position and startling Julian.“What's up? Any problem?” Julian asked, looking up from his phone. “This plan… your plan…” Damon trailed off.“Yes, the plan” Julian nodded, urging him to go on. “What's up with the plan? It doesn't sit well with you?”“No! No, not that. I mean, how exactly do we go about it, exactly? I mean, we can't just go and tell her we have a job for her just like that and she should come over,” Damon said.“Why not? She's isn't doing any of this for free, remember?” Julian asked.“I know, Julian. But it's not just about what we are going to pay her. You think we'd just tell her ‘Hey, we've got a job for you in Italy and you need to pack up’, you think she'd just get up? You think she doesn't have a life?” Damon asked.Julian stared at him. “Why do you care, Damon? I really don't get it.”Damon continued. “Look, don't get me wrong, okay? Slow down. Now look. She was a surrogate mothe
Chapter 11Damon stood still, dazed by the words he just heard from his grandmother. Did she really mean that? Losing access to everything he'd been working hard to build was worse than a disaster and there was no way he was going to let that happen. This was crazy. His grandmother had to be kidding.“Grandma, wait!” he said, running after her.He ran past the door that led to the inner house and sprinted up the flight of stairs and paused as he came to his grandmother's bedroom door. He took a deep breath before he knocked, two silent quick raps on the hard mahogany door. “Grandma?” He got no response. He knocked again. “Grandma? Grandma please, please we need to talk about this, okay? Please.”Still no reply. He was getting frustrated. “Okay, grandma. I agree with you, and I'll get married. But could I please get a little more time? Three months is too sudden for me to bring myself down to love anyone right now, Grandma.”Her voice came floating softly from behind the door. “I don
Chapter 10“You have a message from your grandmother, sir.”Damon took his phone off his ears as he walked into the house, and turned towards the direction where the voice had come from. He saw his housekeeper standing behind him.“What?”“Your grandmother sent a message through her butler while you were away. She says you should respond to it immediately as soon as possible,” the housekeeper said, stretching her hands to him a neatly folded note.Damon furrowed his brows as he scanned the note in her hands before he took it from her. He spoke back into the phone. “Let's talk later, please? I have to attend to something here… Yes… Yes, sure… okay… cool. Yes, later.”He took the note from her and opened it. The message, short and precise, was embossed in his grandmother's usual calligraphic writing.“Meet me in the house tomorrow by 5:30, for an urgent discussion.Your grandmother.”If there was any reason his grandmother wanted to see him, it was for no other reason than to talk abo
Chapter 9Lots of thoughts ran through Scarlett's as she sat beside Julian in the car, who'd been silent for the whole 45 minutes they'd been in the car. He'd come that morning to pick her up, and without hesitation, she'd packed up and followed him immediately. Not like she had a choice anyway, she was practically homeless and knew nobody in the city. The thought of the cash she'd deposited in Aaron's account flashed in her mind and she shook her head wistfully. Damn! If only she'd known.She glanced at Julian again, and she wondered why he was so silent. Except for the quiet hum of the car's engine, the silence in the car was deafening. Ever since he'd come to her hotel room the previous day, she was sure he had spoken nothing more than 20 words. His face was masked behind thick black shades, and it expressed no emotion. She needed to say something, yet she was unsure. But she asked anyway.“Um… where are we going?”Julian said nothing. He was as still as he'd been. “Hello?”He mad
Chapter 8Damon stood, dazed and transfixed to the ground as he watched Rose and this stranger, all soaked with sweat and having the time of their lives. As soon as he yelled her name, the man hurriedly got off, picking his pants and running past him outside the room while Rose rolled off the bed casually, picked up her dress and went into the bathroom. Few minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom and walked to her bedside table and pulled the drawer, bringing out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She took one and clipped the bottom, lit it and inhaled deeply, releasing a thick puff of smoke.“Are you gonna keep standing there looking like a dummy?” She asked as she sat on the bed.Damon looked at her. She didn't look one bit bothered.“You're going to act like nothing just happened? You're my fiancée, Rose. And you just slept with another man!” Damon said.Rose blew out another puff of smoke. “Yeah, I just slept with another man. And what's up with that?” Damon was shocked. W