Hazel Rogers never imagined her mother’s failing heart would force her into the arms of a stranger. With hospital bills piling up and no time left, she signs a desperate contract— as a surrogate for a billionaire who she doesn’t know. Ace Milan is cold, calculated, and devastatingly powerful, a man who built his empire on control and keeps  his heart locked behind a fortress. Hazel is just a transaction to him. But when a scary accident forces her to move into his home, the lines blur. He becomes cruel, unpredictable—testing her limits with sharp words and colder actions. Yet beneath his ice is something else, something broken, watching her with eyes that never quite soften. As her pregnancy progresses, Hazel stumbles upon whispers of the woman who came before her—the first surrogate. The one who vanished. No one speaks of her, and Ace refuses to explain. But the house holds secrets. Locked rooms. Late-night phone calls. Half-truths wrapped in charm. And suddenly, the child inside Hazel becomes more than a contract—it becomes a target. Torn between protecting the life growing inside her and uncovering the truth about the man she’s starting to feel dangerously drawn to, Hazel is forced to make a choice. Walk away before she ends up like the last surrogate… or risk everything to unravel the darkness Ace has spent his life hiding. One thing is clear—nothing in this arrangement is what it seems. And some secrets are buried deep for a reason.

I heard her scream before I even saw her.


One second I was inside the ballroom, wondering where she'd disappeared to, and the next—everything just stopped. That sound—it was hers. I knew it.


I didn't think. I shoved past the waiters, past guests turning to whisper, bolted out the side doors and sprinted through the garden paths until I saw her—


Security was on him seconds later, but the bastard took off. He was fast. Dressed in black. Coward. He vanished into the dark before I could get close enough to lay a hand on him.


I dropped to my knees in front of her. She looked… terrified. Her skin was pale. Her arms were trembling. My name slipped from her mouth like it hurt to say it.


I wrapped my arms around her before I even thought about it. "I've got you," I said. "I've got you. You're okay. I swear you're okay."


People started circling. Staff. Guests. Security.


Chapter 56 - Chapter 56