Olivia POV
"You want me to give birth to a son and after that the deal is done?" I asked for confirmation after I was done reading the document.
"It's just as you've read." The man responded. "During this period, you'll have to move out of your apartment and come with me. Just for a year. Until the child is born."
"Are you asking me to give you a son and then abandon him later on?" I asked still confused by this outrageous offer. I have never thought of been a mother before, but I also have no plans of abandoning my child.
"Technically, you won't be his mother, just his vessel to come into this world. Once you're done, you leave and disappear without a trace."
I looked at the contract in my trembling hands. This was ridiculous.
I looked at him with shaky eyes "I…I..I,"
"What? You don't think you're cut out for the job?" The man took a sip from his glass.
"I would need more time to think about this." I finally muttered after not being able to utter a word.
Just then I got a phone call, my heart sank as I saw the caller. It was aunty Susan.
"Aunty?" I called out scared of the reason for her call.
"Your mum had another attack. Where the hell are you!" Just as I expected. It was bad news.
"How is she!" I abruptly stood up, my chest heaving up on and down. I grabbed a fistful of my hair in frustration, as I tried to stable my breath.
"The doctors managed to stabilize her. They say she needs to be taken to a bigger hospital by the end of today or she won't make it."
The hand holding my phone dropped to the side of my legs. I turned gauntly to look at the man who seemed unbothered while my world was been torn apart.
"How much am I going to get?" I asked, my voice void of any life in them.
"One million dollars."
The amount echoed in my ears countless times. There was a lot I could achieve with such amount.
"You'll be paid quater up front, another quater when you move into the house and the remaining half after the job is completed." The man continued.
"We have a deal." I muttered lifelessly my under my breath.
***
"Aunty Susan!" I yelled as I shuffled through the hallways leading to my mother's room.
Aunty Susan met me half way to my mum's room and held me in place to calm me down. "Calm down child!" She yelled.
"My mother, where is she? Is she alive?" I asked hysterically as I fought to move foward.
"Your mum is stable now." Aunty Susan said patting me on the back.
I fell to the floor as relief washed through me and broke into a loud sob. Aunty Susan got to my level and comforted me while I bawled my eyes out.
After minutes of crying, I wiped my tears and looked at aunty Susan. "Let's go meet the doctor to transfer my mum to a different hospital and get her surgery as quick as possible."
"Yes, yes, we will do just that. But what about the money?" Aunty Susan questioned worriedly.
"Don't worry about that," I stood up and helped aunty Susan up as well. "Please lead me to the doctor."
We got to the doctor's office.
"Miss Olivia," the doctor greeted light heartedly.
"Doctor," I called out firmly, "please ready the transfer of my mother to a bigger hospital."
The doctor looked astounded at my request. "You know it'll cost you a lot of money…" he trialed.
"Money is not the problem." I deadpanned. I then reached out for the phone in my pocket and dialed a number. Soon troops of guys dressed in black suits marched to the doctor's office.
"We'll take it from here." The head guard said and bowed his head at me.
"We need help with the transfer," he turned and said to the doctor who was confused about the whole situation.
I waited outside the hospital, near the line of ambulances, waiting for my mum to be rolled out at any moment.
I hadn't expected this—nearly a dozen ambulances lined up, all to ensure my mother's safe transfer. Seeing how much care my mum was in made me not regret taking that man's offer.
Soon, the hospital staff rolled my mother out on a stretcher, her face pale and peaceful. I followed close behind, Aunty Susan by my side, clutching my arm for support.
Inside the ambulance, I sat across my mother, holding her hands at her looked dearly at her frail state. Aunty Susan sat at the other side, muttering prayers under her breath.
At the new hospital, everything moved in a blur. Nurses and doctors surrounded my mother as she was wheeled into a private room. The facilities were high end, a big contrast to the former hospital.
A nurse approached me as I stood by the side, "the doctor will like to speak to you." She relayed with a smile.
I nodded, exchanging a glance with Aunty Susan before heading to the doctor's office.
"Miss Olivia," the doctor greeted, rising from his seat as I entered.
"Doctor," I replied, sitting down. My voice was firm but my hands trembled slightly on my lap.
He sighed. "Your mother's condition is critical. She's at the bottom of the transplant list, and with the little time she has left, I'm afraid…"
I swallowed hard, the feeling of hopelessness suffocating me. I hit rock bottom again.
"But," he continued, his tone more lighter, "we've received a special request from the hospital's largest investor. They've instructed us to prioritize your mother's treatment. Her surgery is now scheduled for three days from today."
I stared at him in disbelief. "You mean… she'll have the transplant?"
"Yes," he confirmed with a small smile. "She'll receive the best care possible."
Relief washed over me and I buried my face in my hands as in broke into large sobs.
Three days passed quickly. It was the day of my mother's surgery. Aunty Susan and I were pacing nervously in front of the door to the surgery rooms. Whenever the door opened, my heart constricted in my chest but it was the just nurses going in and out.
Finally, the door opened and the doctor stepped out, his face laced with a small smile.
"The surgery was a success," he announced. "Your mother is stable and should regain consciousness between tomorrow or the next."
I let out a shaky breath, tears rolling down my face as I held Aunty Susan's hand. "Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much."
After the surgery, my mother was moved to a normal ward. I sat by her bedside, watching her sleep peacefully in days. The fatigue from events of the last three days caught up to me and I quickly fell asleep as well.
The next morning, I was jolted awake by the sound of my mum's voice.
"Olivia," she whispered weakly.
My head shot up, and I stared at her in disbelief. "Mum?"
She gave me a faint smile, her eyes full of love despite her weakness.
"I'll go get the doctor!" I yelled rushing out of the room.
The doctor arrived quickly, took her blood pressure and assured that she was no longer in any danger. Looking at me and then glancing towards the door, he replied "She's recovering well," before he turned and left the room.
Once the doctor left, I took my mum's hand in mine. "How… how did we afford this?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
I smiled through my tears, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Don't worry about that, Mum. Just focus on getting better. That's all that matters."
I stayed by her side and in no time, she quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, I stood in front of the hospital with a little luggage in my arms. A black maybach drove and screeched to a stop in front of me. I took in a deep breath, before getting to the back seat of the car. Time to pay back what I owe.