Chapter 2: A deal with the devil
Avery sat quietly in the passenger seat, apprehensions eating her up. She had been here for the past twenty minutes, patiently waiting for the woman who will lead her through the surrogacy to attend to them.
Avery fingers twisted anxiously in her lap as she stared out the window, contemplating if she should do this, but she had no choice.
Besides her was Ava, her friend. Who had followed her here.
Ava noticed how nervous Avery was, maybe Avery shouldn't do this.
“You don't have to do this,” Ava said, breaking the silence.
Avery exhaled in deeply and smile at her
“I do!” Avery grip on the wheel tightened. “This isn't about money, Avery. These people, you don't know what they're capable of. Once you sign that contract, you're tied to them. You just can't walk away.” Ava murmured slowly, her tone portraying concern and worries.
She didn't want her friend to make a mistake she might regret.
“I don't have a choice, Ava. Besides the pay is worth it”, Avery breath itched with panic as she stared at the ceiling nervously, biting her lips while tipping the ground.
The opening sounds of the door pulled their attention, and there beheld a woman in her early fifty.
Linda carter.
She was poised. Linda was a professional when it comes to her job. She was a matchmaker, a council and an agency for surrogacy.
She scanned through the two of them and could tell the one doing the surrogacy because of her facial expressions.
“You are Avery Sinclair right?” She asked, though it wasn't really a question. Avery flinched at the mention of her name and stood up to greet her.
She has heard a lot about the woman but never for once did you think she would get to see her in real life.
Avery could tell that the woman's aura was strong. The scent of her perfume alone flooded the room, making Avery yawn every second.
“Follow me,” Linda said briskly, turning on her heel as Avery shot Ava a gaze before following the woman through the frosted glass doors of the agency.
Avery was welcomed into the office by the cold temperature of the room. The office was minimalist, sterile. The walls were decorated with photos of glowing pregnant women, each carefully curated to the project warmth and success.
Avery was led to a small conference room where a thick stack of papers sat waiting on the polished table.
Linda gestured for her to sit. “This is the contract,” she said, tapping the first page. “It outlines the terms of your surrogacy agreement. You will carry a child for Mr. And mrs. Robert, in exchange for financial compensation. There are confidentiality clauses, medical requirements, and post birth arrangements that must be adhered to without question.”
Avery's hand trembled as she reached the first page.
The rules seem very strict. She must be careful when reading it so she doesn't miss any interesting part that might likely ruin her life.
“The contract is Airtight,” Linda continued, not giving her enough time to think. Time wasn't on her side so she needed to wrap this up as soon as possible.
“Once you sign, you cannot back out. Do you understand?” Linda wanted to make sure she knew what she was going to do.
It isn't about the money but about knowing what you're going for and the consequences that follow it in the future.
So Linda wanted her to reflect on that, so that she wouldn't have a reason to regret this decision later in life.
Avery hesitated for a while, her gaze was still fixed on the contract. Avery knew this was taking a hold of her when she began to feel hot all of a sudden.
She could feel her forehead, forming some particles of sweat. Her finger's palm was already evident.
That was it, the moment that would change her life forever.
She thought of her mother, lying in a hospital bed. Her medical bills are piling up with no end in sight. She thought of the nights she had spent crying herself to sleep, wondering how she would survive with no job.
She had no other options but to do this. This was her only hope. A life changing opportunity.
With a deep breath, she picked up the pen and signed her name. And the contract was signed and sealed.
After the signing process, Avery was carried in a car to a penthouse suite of a five star hotel, as instructed by the couple who needed the surrogate mother.
Avery's gaze dropped down in shock on seeing the couples who she was going to be their surrogacy.
She knew Landon Robert so she wasn't shocked, but what shocked her was his wife.
Gianna Smith. She had remembered the woman, the woman she had met at the hospital yesterday.
Gianna's eyes dilated in shock at the sight of the rude lady in front of her. She was disappointed, furious and annoyed on how she got the nerves to still be here after their encounter.
“Call Linda, she needs to find us another one. There's no way I'm allowing this bitch to be our surrogate mother,”
For a while, Landon tries to fathom why she was saying that until he remembered the report she made to him yesterday, concerning a lady who stepped on her diamond dream stiletto shoes. With the way she was covering her Face in shame, he figured it out.
“ Is she the one?” Landon question, just wanting to be sure. And disappointedly, she nodded her head in agreement.
But unfortunately, this would be the first time he wouldn't listen to her. The first time he wouldn't agree to his opinion because he had already liked this girl and he thinks she is fit for this job.
“Please my love,send her away,” Gianna murmured at him huskily, touching his beard while making a puppy face at him.
“Forgive her, Gianna. Besides, time isn't on our side anymore.” Gianna was disappointed to hear the words “forgive “ coming from her husband's mouth. She was really disappointed that he turned her down.
Avery didn't want to lose this job, so she needs to win the man's sympathy for this thing to work. Avery quickly knelt down,bowed her head to apologise.
The apologise wasn't really coming from her mind, she can't believe she has to lower her ego, for this woman just to be accepted by her.
“Stand up!” She finally responded after watching her kneel for some minutes.
“You've signed the contract,” Gianna said, crossing her legs. “That means you belong to us until this pregnancy is over. Do you understand? Gianna blunted out rudely and Avery nodded, her throat dry.
“Good,” said Gianna. “Because if you step out of line, I will make you regret it.” She yelled at her harshly, like an angry bird, pissing Landon off with such an attitude.
“That's enough, Gianna.” He sure couldn't keep up with her attitude anymore. Gianna ignored him and continued lecturing Avery.
“You will boy speak about this arrangement to anyone, " she continued. “You will not interfere in our lives. The moment you give birth, you'll disappear like sand.”
Avery swallowed hard but nodded again. Landon exhaled and held her hand.
“Let's get this over with. The hospital is expecting us.”
*****
At the hospital, Avery was led into a private room where a team of doctors and nurses were already preparing for the procedure.
The plan was simple: gestational surrogacy. Landon’s sperm and a donor egg from Gianna would be used, meaning Avery would have no biological connection to the child. After the sperms and donor egg was taken from Landon and his wife, they walked away immediately saying they have a meeting to attend.
She lay on the exam table, staring up at the fluorescent light as the doctor began the procedure.
But then,... Something went wrong.
The doctor frowned, flipping through the results of her preliminary tests. “This doesn't look right.”
Avery’s stomach clenched at the complaint of the doctor.
“What's wrong?” The doctor hesitated before looking up.
“Your body isn't reacting well to the embryo. The chances of implantation are extremely low.”
Avery felt the blood drain from her Face.
“What does that mean?”
The doctor sighed for a while, perplexed about the whole thing.
“It means gestational surrogacy won't work. If you want to move forward, we would need to switch to traditional surrogacy, using your eggs instead of the donor.
Avery caught a breath in her throat on hearing the doctor's explanation.
This is quite confusing. It's a hard choice for her to make.
Their agreement was for her to do gestational surrogacy, and not traditional surrogacy.
Because if she proceeds with the traditional surrogacy, then that means the baby wouldn't just be Landon's and Gianna, it'll be hers.
Avery panics for a while, her chest pounding in her heart. “But that wasn't the plan __”
“I know,” the doctor said gently. But it's the only viable option.
Avery's mind raced in panic and confusion. If she refused, the deal would be off, the money would be gone and with it, her only chance to save her mother.
Landon wasn't here, he had left before the result came in, Gianna hadn't arrived ye
t.
This was her decision, a choice to make.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Then took a deep breath and whispered “do it!”
Chapter 3: A Cry In The Night Nine months later The delivery room was filled with chaos . Avery screamed out loudly, her body drenched in sweat as another contraction tore through her. “Almost there!” The doctor called. “One more push! I need you to push!!” Avery clenched her teeth so hard, using every last ounce of strength she had, but it wasn't enough. The doctor kept telling her to push harder and harder. If she had known labour pain was this painful,she wouldn't have made this Wrong mistake. This is literally one of the worst pain she had ever passed through. She could feel every part of her body being broken, it was as if her waist was damaged. If she could survive this labour then it's a miracle because she felt like going crazy. After a while of screaming the pushing, a sharp cry pierced the air. Then another. And another. “Triplets,” the nurse whispered in shock. Avery's entire body sagged in relief as she gazed at the three tiny babies being placed in the nurse’s
Chapter 4: The Genius Triplets “Mother,” A soft voice screamed from behind. “Ethan and Evan are always finding trouble in school, I thought it was better I tell you before it's too late.” Ella ignored the glares coming from her twin brothers and pulled away from them, to avoid being chased. Their mother instantly stopped what she was doing and turned to the two boys, who had already wrapped their hands around their heads in shame. They were disappointed that Ella had snitched on them. Even after bribing her with chocolate at school to quiet her, she still reported them to their mother. She always did. “Now tell me, what exactly happened?” Avery demanded, she didn't want this. She hated it when the triplets caused chaos in school because she knew that even the smallest incident could get them expelled. Luckily, they were able to attend such prestigious, luxurious school on scholarships, and she didn't want them to ruin that opportunity for themselves. Rich kids are easily
Chapter 5: Breaking in, Cashing out. Ethan spent days studying Landon’s bank account, finding weak points in the system. He discovered that Landon's bank used a two_ step security system password and a verification code sent to Landon's phone. Evan, on the other hand, built a special device that could intercept messages sent to Landon's phone without alerting him. Ella, worked on an Al program that would cover their tracks by making it look like Landon himself had approved the transaction. Every detail was planned. There was no room for errors. Ethan believes they could do this. He knew who they were. They were the geniuses of their school. They were so good with technology that even their teachers were afraid of them. The student were jealous of their intelligence Ethan believes they were gifted with talent from birth. Ethan, the eldest of the triplets, had a natural gift for hacking. What started as fun quickly evolved into an unparalleled skill. By twelve he could bypass fi
Chapter 6: A Dangerous Game. “Do you have any idea who must be behind this?” Landon questioned his P. A, who had been standing in one position, awaiting his boss' command and instructions. “No, sir!” He replied politely, getting Landon furious with such a response. Landon can't seem to wrap his head around the whole thing. He couldn't seem to fathom out who must have hacked his account. Landon knew every good cyber security expert in this country, and he wasn't sure they could do this to him. They were familiar with him and respected him greatly. If they were really behind this, he believed they would have made away with a much larger sum of money. “Think, Owen. Do you know any upcoming cyber security? Probably someone who's good with technology?” Landon questioned him again, determined to catch the culprit today and teach them a lesson. “ I'm not really sure, but I heard there's this triplets attending your school, they're good with technology. What if someone made plans with
Chapter 7: “Even if what you're saying is true, you're not the mother of the triplets, The triplets are our children. You were just a surrogate mother.” Gianna said, with a shaking breath. *Nope! You got it all wrong! Avery stops walking around her and station herself in one place. Now it's time to break the unpleasant news, which might send waves of electricity into her body, thereby resulting in fainting. “Remember, we were to do gestational surrogacy, but unfortunately, your genetics weren't compatible with him, and if the doctor had proceeded with it, it would have led to a fall operation. So the doctor requested we did a traditional surrogacy, where my egg was used with your husband sperms, which means the triplets are fucking mine”, she said with a contempt. “And the child you claim you have today, belongs to another man.” She added. Gianna felt a heavy wave in her chest, a sinking feeling overwhelming her. Her whole body shuts down for some seconds and later starts fu
Chapter 8: A web Of Lies Gianna sighed deeply as she stepped out of the car and headed straight to the house. It was already late. She had spent almost the entire day with Ranon, her baby father. Enjoying a romantic time with him. Gianna froze when she saw her husband seated in the sitting room. She had no idea someone was there. “Where are you coming from?” Landon questions his tone with a whisper. He was calm, which reassured Gianna that he hadn't suspected anything. “That's strange and sudden. Are you now interested in my daily affairs?” Gianna was concerned, even though they were a married couple and he had the right to ask her about her whereabouts, it still felt strange to her. All those years of marriage, he had never once cared about her. “I am your husband. Of course ,I have every right to know your daily affairs!” He shrugged at her. His tone was calm and soothing. Which was unlike him. Landon looked at her and shook his head in disappointment. “If you're tire
Chapter 9 : Seduction And Silence A wave of dread washed over her as the triplets walked towards her. “Good morning, ma'am!” The triplets all greeted in unison, wondering why the woman had called them. “How can we help you?” Ella shrugged at the woman, her voice firm and steady. They had never been on Good terms with her son, so why had she called them? Gianna lost control of herself immediately, she couldn't breathe. She felt suffocated by the sight of the triplets. She was speechless. Their pointed noses, their eyes, everything_ it was the same as Landon, her husband. Gianna forced herself to regain composure, letting out a fake smile before facing them. “That's right!” She murmured with a smile, running her hand through Ella's hair. “Luke actually reported something to me “ Their faces change immediately, shifting from their normal expression to one of disdain “That we bullied him?” Evan questioned and Gianna nodded her head. “But I'm not here to scold any of you.
Chapter 10_ His step brother Every day, Landon regretted his decision. He regretted being used by his father for his own selfish gains. If everything had not been based on an arranged marriage, he would never have married Gianna, a woman for whom he felt absolutely nothing. He had thought that perhaps, with time, he would grow to like her, but that had never happened. Her character was simply unbearable. It irritated him to no end and made him regret his choice even more. But could he really be to blame? He had been just a twenty three years old young man when he had been forced to make such life altering decisions. If he had been older and wiser then, he would not have allowed his family to influence him into making such a terrible mistake by marrying Gianna. Even after twelve years, he still did not truly know the kind of person Gianna was. ****** Landon studied her movements carefully and could see how terrified she was. Her entire body trembled tremendously. He coul
Chapter 37: Three Against The Devil The doctor instructed the both of them to step outside while the medical team rushed her to the operating room. “You should stay here with her. Call me once the operation is done. I need to find the triplets.” Landon said sharply, glancing at Anora. “Please wait!!” Anora called after him, and stood up from the chair she was seated on and walked to him. “Never forget, Gianna and Avery are rivals. I won't be surprised if she was the one that kidnapped the triplets.” she warned and his thoughts reflected yesterday night. At the party. Now everything was suddenly making sense to him. “Thank you Anora. Here's my card, you can use it to make payment for the bills.” With that being said, Landon turned and walked away in a hurry. He needs to trace Gianna. He needs to find her!!! This was probably her way of avenging him. Landon still finds it hard she could do such an evil thing, all because she was bitterd he divorced her. *****“Hahaha!” A lau
Chapter 36: Before It's Too Late On his way, he encounters a scene. It was anora. Anora had called Landon earlier to ask about the hospital her friend was admitted to. Avery had given Landon's number to anora,in case of emergency. And today was that emergency. Anora walked to the receptionist, asking about her friend but the nurses informed her there was no body like that. Especially when she couldn't tell them the ward number, so they assume she was just a stranger hoping to visit a patient. Luckily, she saw Landon walking away and quickly ran to him. *Oh my God!!” “Good day sir!!” Anora couldn't believe her eyes. This was officially her first time seeing Landon. She had always admired him online “Are you anora?” Landon still remembers the name Ava had mentioned during their conversation earlier. “Yes! Yes sir!!* She affirmed quickly. “Please, can you take me to her ward? I need to see my friend!” sobbing sounds came out of her mind when she figured out the triplets look s
Chapter 35: Kidnapped “Avery!” “Avery!” Anora screamed her name in terror, panic surging through her. Anora could tell Avery was disappointed. She was certain she would never forgive her for what happened. “I'm really so sorry!!” Avery was still speechless. She was dumbfounded for a while, trying to fathom out what was happening. Trying to comprehend the words Anora had said to her but all she kept hearing was the triplets. “Kidnapped!!” The words rang in her ears continuously, making her eyes shed tears. Avery wished the ground could just open up and swallow her whole. How would she face Landon, who was giving her questionable gaze? “What's happening Ava, and who's the triplets she was talking about?” Landon questioned. But Avery didn't respond to him, she was trying to gather her strength and then maybe, try to face him. “You seemed very sick. I shall take you to the hospital,and once you get well, you better answer my question with honesty.” Landon reprimanded her, hurt b
Chapter 34: Secrets, Screams, and Stolen Children“Young lady, is this how you go about, mistaking a stranger for someone you know and accusing them of something they have no absolute ideas of?” Avery screeched at Gianna, her hands balled into fists,her entire body trembling with Fury. Avery Voi dropped with venom as she spoke. “That's enough already Gianna.” Landon rasped at her, his heart ached with guilt as he regretted not sending Gianna away the moment she approached them. “I'm so sorry, my love.” Landon tilted his head at Avery. He hated the fact that he allowed Gianna to trigger her exploding. “I'm really sorry!” Landon apologised, grabbed Avery's hands and walked out of Gianna, who was still hesitating to leave their sight. She wasn't satisfied. She thought she could expose Avery right there but her mission failed. Landon doesn't believe her. He never did. “My love, are you okay?” Landon questions on their way out and Avery pauses to look at him. “I'm just exhausted and
Chapter 33: Claimed By The Gentleman Landon's jaw dropped in astonishment. A glimmer of hope sparkled in his eyes as his eyes met with Avery, who was walking to meet him. His driver had gone to take her from the Salon some minutes ago and here she is, looking like a bride. A queen actually. “Ava!!” His breath caught in his throat. “You…. you look so beautiful!” He praised her. For a second, he had almost thought she was someone else. He didn't recognise her at first until his mind told him this could be ava. Landon was dressed in a black suit and a luxurious shoe that matched his dress. When he was done dressing,he came over to the sitting room to wait for Ava. His date. And after what seems to be forever, she finally came home, but looking so gorgeous and beautiful. Landon was proud of himself. He was really proud to have someone like her around him. “Let's get going, shall we?” Landon held onto her arms and they made their way to his car. Being a loving gentleman, he opened t
Chapter 32: One Night Of Pretend Landon was very thrilled and excited when Avery agreed to follow him to the party. It was a night party, which they're to return the next day if they weren't able to go home that night. Landon explained everything to her and she agreed to follow him. Even though it might cause a problem, Landon believes he's likely going to bump into his enemy tonight. CEO Carson, the Owner and founder of one of the most successful companies aside from the Robert family, he would be celebrating his birthday today on the rooftop of his company HQ. Landon knew he couldn't afford to miss such a party. Not now that he got a beautiful woman to accompany him. He just needed something to keep his mind off certain things, this party was all he needed. “ When is this party starting?” A soft gentle voice echoes into his ear and he blink his eyes, gazing at her with warmth in his ears. “Tonight!!” “Follow me, I shall take you shopping and get you some clothes. We have fo
Chapter 31Landon was about to open the hospital ward and enter inside to greet his father when he heard a familiar voice, quickly, he drifted back and lean around the corner of the wall, eavesdropping in their conversation. He saw the person face. It was no other than his step brother, Smith. Slowly, he stretched his hands, trying to have a clue of what smith was doing. He seems to be talking to himself. At first Landon had thought he was having a conversation with his father,not until he realized he was talking to himself. His father seems to be sleeping. These days, the sickness seems to be getting worse daily. Causing him to worry. Landon knows the moment his father kicked the bucket, he would be disown from the family. They will kicked him out and everything he had built and worked so hard for would crash down. It will crumble, thereby making him a looser and making smith to win him. But he can never let that happen. He would do everything he could,to make sure his father stay
Chapter 30: The Game Begins Avery's sight became blurry and dark as she watched Gianna walking away. Her body was cold and frozen. As if she had been electrocuted. Avery didn't notice the effect of Gianna’s words on her until she almost stumbled and fell while trying to enter the house, in fear. Her body was trembling. With a panicked tone, Avery called her friend, Anora who picked up within the span of two minutes. “Hello, , I will be coming to your place. I will stay there with the kids for a while.” She uttered, anxiously waiting for her friend to respond before going ahead to pack a few of her things. “Sure. I will be waiting for your arrival!” assured her and the call came to an end. Without wasting time, Avery quickly walked to her room and began to pack a few of her things she Will be needing. Her mind wasn't at peace here anymore. Not after Gianna had figured out where she stayed. She was afraid Gianna would send people after her and she would be kidnapped. It's jus
Chapter 29: Threat “What are you saying, Ella?” Avery was perplexed by her words. It seems like Ella seems to be joking. “It's true mother. We were afraid. Thinking they would come at us.” Evan added, his body trembling a little. He was still terrified from the incident “They were two men, they walked around for a while and left.” Ethan added, scaring the hell out of Avery. Avery opened her hands and put them into an embrace. The thought of those men breaking into the house and kidnapping them horrific her. What if they've been kidnapped? What would she have done? “Ohh, Avery, you're so stupid!” She curses under her breath, while still hugging them. “I'm really sorry. Mother wouldn't leave you guys this long again.” Avery said as she disengaged from the hug. ******* Gianna had sent two men to confirm the address and to know if that was truly where Avery stayed before going there herself, and indeed, the men came with the information she wanted. She had told them to kid