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Chapter 026
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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
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 031
Truth UnveiledThe hectic pounding of Morris's feet echoed in the sterile halls of the hospital as he churned his way to the pediatric wing. His heart chirped away in his chest, a medley of worry and pride clouding his mind. It was but a few hours ago that Morris had received a desperate call from Allison. Their son or, rather, the boy he had come to believe was his son was severely ill and in desperate need of an emergency blood transfusion.As he turned the corner, Allison was pacing in front of a hospital room, her face ashen, streaked with tears. It was probably the new paternity revelation dealing with the child or maybe something else, but in that instant, Morris felt something hitch in his own heart: palpable concern. He wasn't the father of this child, but hadn't he been this child's father for years?"Allison," he croaked. "What's wrong? How's he doing?"Relief creasing her face, Allison turned to him. "Morris, thank God. It's it's bad. They said he needed a transfusion right
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 032
Confrontations and CelebrationsWhen the door came crashing open into Allison's apartment, she stopped in her nervous stride and whirled around. In came Morris, who had grown a thundercloud of emotions all over his face. Well, the past couple of days since the incident in the hospital had been sort of confusing and hurtful; quarters had been applied. It flamed anger hot into his veins."How'd you do that to me?" he bellowed, raw with his emotions. "All these years, Allison. All these goddamned years of lies!"Allison winced, eyes widened with fear and guilt. "Morris, please. I can explain...""Explain?" Morris laughed bitterly. "Explain how you let me believe that child was mine? How you watched me love him, care for him, all while knowing the truth?"Tears were strafing down Allison's face. "I was scared, Morris. I couldn't afford to lose you. I thought. I thought if I actually came out in the open and told you the truth, you would leave.""So instead, you imprisoned me with a lie?"
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 033
Shifting DynamicsA month later, the morning sunlight filtering through the curtains into Morris's apartment strewn with papers over his desk and cold cups of coffee was just the beginning. He had not slept a single wink all through the night, going through heaps of legal documents and custody agreements in a hope to make some sense out of his new reality.A knock at the door broke the bleary-eyed focus. He opened it to Allison, who seemed as tired as he felt."We need to talk," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.Morris stepped aside, ushering her in. The atmosphere was tight between them now, neither like the easy companionship they had shared so many times."I've been thinking," Allison said, twisting her hands nervously. "About everything. About us, about. about our son."Morris recoiled at that 'our'. "He's not...""I know," Allison interrupted, welling up with tears in her eyes. "I know he's not biologically yours. But Morris, you've been his father in all the ways that
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 034
Fractures and FacadesAt the top of the grand staircase, shimmering in her gown, like starlight itself, stood Isabelle. As she started down, every eyes turned toward her, and collectively, the crowd gasped in admiration.At the bottom stood Carlos, all dressed up and smiling, his teeth glinting like diamonds in the ballroom lights; his tight eyes spoke of some winding up tightly inside of him that Isabelle couldn't place. He took her hand as she came down to him and brought it to his lips for a kiss a little too long. "You look breathtaking," he said, low-pitched for her ears alone. "Ready to face the wolves?"Nervously, Isabelle laughed as her eyes raked around the sea of faces that seemed to pack in on them. "As ready as I'll ever be," she returned, squeezing his hand.They wedged their way through the sea of congratulations and questions relating to wedding plans. She couldn't help making an involuntary shake each time that really creepy feeling bit at her that he was wrong. It was
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The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 86
The End Morris sighed and looked at the floor, “Carlos, I. . . I owe you an apology.” He was feeling regretful standing in front of the Fernandez family’s large living room. ”I’ve been wrong about you for far too long. ” The man, who once was called the ruthless billionaire Carlos Fernandez, stared at Morris in surprise. The passage of time had made him bitter and a little less cruel; the man had a glimmer of humanity in his gaze. "Morris, we have both sinned, and maybe it is time that we let that go, and start afresh." ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Two days later, there was a tense atmosphere in the Fernandez mansion as the family got ready for the last day in court. Isabelle walked around the room, her twins, Sophia and Alex watched their mother with concern. They were teenagers, still they were not dumb enough not to feel the gravity of the situation although not wise enough to understand it fully. “Mommy, are we going to be okay?” Sophia asked, her face registered with concer
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 85
Price of Redemption In the airport lounge as they waited for their flight back home, Carlos turned to Isabelle, out of the blue it seemed, deadly serious."We need to talk, Isabelle," he said, with the voice just loud enough despite the background noise of the terminal.Isabelle put down her magazine, knowing whatever he would say next carried weight. "What is it, Carlos?"He paused again and looked over to the kids, who were all busy with their phones and snacks, apparently noticing nothing of the tension palpably drawn between their parents. Then he turned back to Isabelle, his fierce gaze softening. "This trip. I realize now more than ever how much we have run away from facing things. I mean, we have been so ensnared with the trial, that we paid no heed to how much we needed each other."Slowly, Isabelle nodded and put the magazine aside. Of course they would have had to discuss it sometime. This vacation had been an escape route for the time being, but they had not been able to
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 84
Isabelle's POV A Change of SceneryCarlos had grown distant and busy, and Isabelle could barely remember the last time that they had really spoken.The children were affected by this too—reportedly. Alex, who was otherwise so cheerful and full of life, grew into a quiet individual who spent more time in his room compared to before. Sophia watched her parents with a worried look in her eyes, which seemed to pick up on an air of tension.She knew something had to give. They couldn't go on much longer this way, dancing around each other and barely holding together as a family unit. One evening while they sat around the dinner table almost in complete silence, Isabelle cleared her throat to speak."I think we need a break," she said, her voice slicing through the tension. "A real break. I've booked us a vacation; just the four of us. We leave tomorrow." Carlos's head jerked up from over his plate, his eyes flashing with surprise. "A vacation? Now? Isabelle, with the trial coming up, I d
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 83
Double CrossIsabelle's POV While Carlos and I pretty much were picking our way carefully through a brittle truce, truth got entangled—an undercurrents of mistrust and suspicion run too deep underneath.Morris was back in our lives, busy with Carlos, planning an appeal that hung over us all like the sword of Damocles. I played the supportive wife, but my stomach twisted with each glimpse of the two of them huddled together in strategy sessions. Not to forget Allison—always there to remind me things were not just as they seemed.Somehow, Allison had wormed her way back into Carlos's favor. Now, she just made herself useful in ways that left me wondering at her motives. There wasn't much I could do, though, I didn't have a lot to argue with results for. We needed all the help we could get.Yet something in the way she smiled at Morris, maybe something about it, in her eyes' glitter, when she thought herself unobserved jarred on me. I could see that she was plotting something. I only wo
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 82
Unlikely AlliesIsabelle's POV As I came home after the trial, the silence was palpable. Carlos and I had sort of reached a compromise to work things out, but the chasm of distance between us now seemed larger than before. We tiptoed around each other, trying not to detonate the fights that had become all too frequent. The weight of everything that had happened hung over us like a dark cloud, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to give.It was late in the day, but I found Carlos in his study, nursing a glass of whiskey. His face seemed to hold more etchings of worry lines than even a few days ago. Hesitating at the door, unsure if I should intrude, before I could retreat he looked up and caught my gaze."Isabelle," he said, his voice soft, almost vulnerable. "Come in."I walked into the room and sensed the tension in the air. "What's on your mind?" I inquired, attempting to keep my tone light.Carlos let out a sigh and raked a hand over his hair. "It's everythin
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 81
Hidden AgendasIsabelle's POV The silence was so thick, so palpable, you could cut it with a knife in that courtroom. Then the voice of the judge finally broke the quiet, reading the verdict. It was almost as though time had slowed down—draggy, very long words. There it was, folks; the last words: "Not guilty." The disbelief was hard to digest. Wave upon wave of relief washed over me, and then I was numb the next moment.We had finally won, and we were clean for sure this time. But something didn't feel quite right in this wave of relief. What was wrong?Carlos turned to me with a mix of victory and exhaustion on his face. "We did it," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.I nodded to him with a try at a smile. "Yeah, we did."In a flash, Morris was beaming reassuringly upon Carlos, shaking his hand, and at my side. "That is a victory for all of us," he declared, quite assured and composed in voice but with eyes that gave a flicker, the very doubt which was gnawing at me.As
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 80
Courtroom DramaIsabelle's POV Carlos had already been downstairs in his suit, impeccable, with an artfully done-up tie, sitting at the kitchen table with an empty, long stare into his coffee. His suit was impeccable, the tie artfully neat, but in his eyes, I could feel the tension. This trial was getting to all of us, I thought, but with Carlos, it felt like it was bearing down on him the most."Ready?" I asked softly, trying to sound surer than I was.He looked up at me then, his expression a mix of determination and exhaustion. "As ready as I'll ever be."We rode to the courthouse in dangerous, silent words. I felt there was some unseen poison spreading between the two of us. The pressure of our relationship overworked by the months tugged tighter and tighter until finally, the impending trial was just enough. Across the chasm in my mind, stretching between us, I could feel the impossible divide to bridge; at least that was what I felt right now.By the time we got there, the cou
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 79
Race Against TimeIsabelle's POV Among other things, this document we just received was something game -changing, this last bit of evidence, which would finally shift the tide in our favor. But as much as it brought hope, it also put an immense sense of urgency into the situation. We knew our opponents—all those dark figures who had set this whole scandal up in the first place would move heaven and earth to discredit or suppress it. Every second counted.That evening, we all sat in the living room. The air was heavy with tension; the fear was unsaid. I could see the worry etched on everyone's faces: Carlos, Jack, Sophia, Alex, even Morris, who had rapidly turned into an indispensable part of our efforts."We have to authenticate this evidence now," Morris said, his voice steady, but urgent. "If we don't, they'll find a way to discredit it before we can ever present it." Carlos leaned forward, his elbows propped on his knees, and deep stress lines etched on his face. "Do we have the
The Unexpected Surrogate for the Ruthless Billionaire Chapter 78
Damage ControlIsabelle's POVHere I was in my old familiar role as the squall of accusation and scandal reared its ugly head all over again, trying to hold everything together. An apparent impulsive act on the part of Carlos to issue a press statement without consulting any of us boomeranged. Far from quietening the rumors, it stirred the embers and set them even higher in the public perception of our family.Early the next day, the dawn was breaking right after the news along with a hundred calls, emails, and messages. In my mind, a thousand thoughts raced, but then I realized that I really had no time to panic; I needed to act."Carlos, we need to talk. I almost bumped into each of his study doors. His eyes were black with fatigue, his features etched with stress. The weight of the world seemed to be sitting on his shoulders."What's there to talk about, Isabelle? The damage is done."I took the deep breath of courage to say, "Yes, but we can still manage the narrative. We can't le
