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Chapter 022
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The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 023
CrossroadsThe soft glow of the laptop screen cast its blue rays on Isabelle's face as she stared back at the email incredulously. Her heart raced from the initial excitement to a stringent trepidation. There it was - a new job offer to head some groundbreaking sustainable energy project, setting a new course of pioneering in the industry. Then attached to this kind of expectation, came the catch: extensive traveling for at least six months in a year.Her gaze fell into the twins' room where Alexander and Sophia lay sleeping serenely, and she felt her tummy turn at the thought of being away from them like this. Yet professional fulfillment beckoned irresistibly.She heard the turn of Carlos's key in the lock and slammed her laptop shut. He came into the room, looking drained but able to raise a smile on seeing her."You're up very late," he said, his tie coming loose.Isabelle nodded, thinking of telling him about the job offer now or after. "How was your day?"Carlos blew a sigh and
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 024
Mirror ImagesTiny feet patter along the hardwood floor, and the Fernandez penthouse echoes with that melodic sound. Isabelle looks up from her laptop just in time to see Alexander toddle into the room, his face screwed up in determination as he clutches a toy car."Mama!" he said again, triumphant now, showing her the toy car. "Vroom vroom!"She whisked him up in her arms and planted a warm, soggy kiss on his dimpled cheek. "That's right, sweetheart. Your car goes vroom vroom!"Just as if in answer, there was a shrill cry from the nursery. Isabelle sighed; that was Sophia's cry. She put Alexander down on the floor. "Let's go see what your sister wants, shall we?"They found Sophia standing in her crib, crying calmly. The instant she saw Isabelle, her wails reached new heights as she held out her hands."Oh, my baby," Isabelle said in her most soothing voice, reaching into the crib to pick up Sophia. Sophia turned right away to press her face into the crook of Isabelle's neck, sniffli
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 025
Shadows of DoubtThe soft glow of her laptop cast an eerie light on Isabelle's face as she scrolled down her emails. Her brow furrowed. Past midnight, and where was Carlos? Again.She looked at her phone, hoping that it'd buzz with some message from her husband. Nothing. She closed her laptop with a great sigh and padded into the twin's room to watch them sleep peacefully.Eyes on Alexander and Sophia, yet the gnawing issue at the back of her mind twang.Of late, Carlos had been gone more and more, always engaging late meetings and urgent problems with the business, but there was something not quite right.The creak of the front door broke Isabelle out of her reverie. She slipped out of the twins' room and padded silently to the living room, where Carlos was pulling at his tie, looking like a beaten man."Another late night?" Isabelle asked, trying to keep accusation out of her voice.Carlos nodded, barely squaring his eyes with hers. "That Zhang merger is proving a lot more complicat
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 026
Educational CrossroadsThe brochure of Oakwood Academy gleamed in Carlos's hands: all glossy pages of ultra-modern facilities and smiling, uniformed children. Over his shoulder, Isabelle peered, brow furrowed."I don't know, Carlos," she said hesitantly. "It seems so…rigid."Carlos turned to her, his eyes flashing. "Look at their record, Isabelle. The best test scores in the state, guarantied placement into the best prep schools. This could set Alexander and Sophia up for life!"Isabelle bit into her lip, unconvinced. "They're only three, Carlos. Isn't it a bit early to be thinking about prep schools?""It's never too early to plan for their future," Carlos would persist. "Well I never had these kinds of opportunity when I was their age. I want our children to do better."His voice was so full of longing that Isabelle's heart softened. She knew just how much he had worked to get out from his humble origins."What about Sunnyside Montessori?" she said, tugging out another brochure. "Th
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 027
Family FrictionDesperate to be graceful, Isabelle baked cookie after cookie until they newly scented the Fernandez penthouse. She cast nervous glances at Carlos, working his jaw and pacing across the living room."Relax," Isabelle tried to sound more confident than she felt, "it's just your in-laws. We have handled worse."He rinsed his face, then halted pacing to rake a hand through his hair. "Your parents have never liked me, Isabelle. And now with everything that's happened."The mention of her parents reminded her of how unfair she had been treated growing up as a young girl under the so-called parents, after the tragic passing of her true parents.Margaret was the elder sister of her mother who took the responsibility to shelter her. The idea of sheltering Isabelle didn't go well with her husband, Mr. Robert Williams. But out of the love for his wife, he hesitantly accepted.While others where in school, Isabelle was abruptly stopped from going to school. She lived with them lik
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 028
Crossroads and ConspiraciesCarlos stared out through the windows, observing the light-speckled night. Isabelle sat beside him, tapping at her tablet with a frown."Anything new?" he said, his tone clipped.Isabelle turned her head to the side. "Nothing concrete. Just the more I dig into this job offer, the more questions I have."Carlos nodded as a ball began to form in his gut. It seemed to be an out-of-the-blue call—some prestigious consulting firm inviting him to New York to take on a job that smelled of overgoodness: double the salary, corner office, and dealings with the greatest names in international finance.Something just was not right. It really was just a little too convenient that, when they finally started to get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounded his father's hidden fortune and the enigmatic Marcus Delgado, some things started happening.Turning toward his wife, he asked, "Am I paranoid, or does it feel like a setup?"Their eyes met—Isabelle's a combination of
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 029
Echoes of the PastThe early morning sunshine spilled across the kitchen of Fernandez Mansion through the curtains. Isabelle stood mechanically at the kitchen counter, preparing lunches for the twins. Her actions were instinctual while her brain remained elsewhere; it was replaying yesterday evening's conversation over and over again in her mind."Mrs. Fernandez?" The voice of the principal at the school had been soft but firm. "I'm afraid we need to discuss an incident involving Sophia and Alexander today."All those words, Isabelle's heart had clenched into a ball. Now, wrapping sandwiches carefully in wax paper, she felt that same tightness. The twins, who could usually be counted on to be loud and chatty in the mornings, didn't have much to say that morning. Sophia was sitting at the kitchen island, moving her cereal around the bowl without actually eating. Alex hadn't even come downstairs yet."Sophia, sweetheart, it's almost time. Can you go get your brother?" Sophia nodded and
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 030
Morris and Allison Morris was sitting behind his desk, his eyes riveted to the paper before him but looking at nothing, his hands shaking just a little as he picked up the manila envelope that held something which could potentially turn his world upside down. The result of the paternity test had come earlier that morning, and he had been dodging its opening for hours.Taking a deep breath, he finally worked up the courage to open the envelope. His heart was racing blood through the veins as his eyes skimmed the paper. As the words began to come into focus, the room spun around him."Probability of paternity: 0%"Morris slumped back in his chair. A wash of emotions had overcome him all at once—anger, betrayal, grief—all a little dizzying. He'd suspected; the timing had always been a bit off, really, and then there were these tiny Concentration Camp glitches in the boy himself. But to have it spelled out so brazenly ….He thought of the child that he had brought up as his own all these
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