The Billionaire's surrogate

Deja vu

"holy f**k!" Christine seethed as the coffee spilled on her.

"I know right? That's like my daily affirmation." The voice teased behind her.

He was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her neck.

Christine spun around in a second and there he was. The mouth watering, enigma billionaire. Who also happened to be the CEO of where she worked. bummer, I know!. Oh!! And how could we forget? Who also happened to be the father of the child growing inside her. Yh wtf? It's okay, you can say it.

"Good morning Mr Alex." There was no mistaking the scorn in her voice.

Alex was smiling at her.

"And no offense, but i certainly didn't know you could smile this much."

Christine threw the rest of the coffee into the trash and walked into the library.

Alex followed at her heels. "None taken."

"Mr Alex, how can I help you?" Christine asked impatiently.

"Please, it's just Alex and I just wanted to see you and talk. I knew it would be uncomfortable at the hotel so I found out from your friend where you spent your day off."

All the while she was staring at how the reflections in his eyes were so beautiful. At how his lips curved while he talked. How he couldn't get rid of the smirk on his face even though he was trying to look serious. She was trying not even go to how his body looked so good in the jet black three pieced suit.

"Christine??"

She gasped back to reality and slapped her face in embarrassment.

"Sorry." She muttered walking over to her favorite spot in the library.

she took off her glasses to clean them as they sat.

"An interesting place to spend a day off if you ask me." Alex commented.

His throaty voice bouncing through her ears.

"Mm. What can I say? I'm a sucker for books."

Alex smiled.

"So what is it? Romance?" He teased.

"Oh no! I'm a Mystery/thriller girl. I'm very picky about my Romance taste. I only exist in Emily Bronte's world of Romance. Her idea of love is so raw and cruel. And of course Jane Austen and her genuine, experienced approach of love and entwined destinies. Ughh! These women! They have me on my knees! "

Alex was watching her. He wondered why this felt so familiar, the exact words she was saying, the setting.

Christine had a sudden nostalgia to when they first met. In a cafe where she worked on campus.

"Well, continue. I'm interested." Alex urged.

"There is nothing to continue." Her voice was harsh.

He cleared his throat. "I uhmm just came to thank you in person. Veronica told me you decided to keep and have the baby. Even though it means a lot to me, you didn't have to so Thank you."

Christine snickered. "I'd hold my horses if I were you."

Silence.

"I've decided to take your sister to court. I may be having your baby but I'm taking legal action against the person responsible for this, which also happens to be your sister." She continued squaring her shoulders.

"Thank you for telling me, I appreciate that." He stood up to leave.

Christine's shoulders slumped.

"Wait, is that it?"

Alex stared at her. " That's how it should be. Were you expecting me to feel offended that you're doing the right thing?" He left, with that smirk on his face still.

Christine groaned.

Why did nothing feel normal? Isn't he actually supposed to feel hurt or angry that she's about to drag his sister to court for an unintended mistake?

_______________________________________________

"She did it! She actually did it. I'm screwed!" Laura panted breathlessly into the phone.

"Take a breath, Laura. What's going on?" Rose replied from the other end of the phone.

Laura fell to the floor, sobbing into the phone.

"She pressed charges, Rose. I just got a mail." She said after a while.

"Ohhh! I'm so sorry Laura. I'm sorry but good thing we've been preparing for this okay? We have to make all appearances there is to make, to show remorse at least. When's your first court appearance?" Rose comforted.

"I don't understand... I just don't understand.. why now? Why didn't she just do it sooner." Laura drifted.

"She probably got influenced by someone. That's how it always is but Laura focus!! When's your first court appearance?"

"Next week. That's what the letter said." Laura said.

"Okay that's fine. We HAVE to be there. Take all the time you need okay? I'll inform Alex and your father. We have got you." Rose stated calmly.

"Rose?" Laura dried her eyes as she spoke.

"Yes?"

"Am I going to go Jail?" Laura voice broke.

Rose sighed. "Laura, honestly I don't know. I'm not going to mince words here. I don't know what's gonna happen for sure, except your license being suspended. But if the Judge knows you were dealing with seasonal depression at the time, at most, you'd go to a therapy facility, you might have to pay for damages and all that, depending on the terms set by Christine. The rest is for the Judge to decide." Rose explained positively.

Laura sighed.

"It's okay. You'll be fine. We'll be with you throughout okay? I just hope we draw on a good Judge." Rose comforted.

Laura sighed again.

"I'll inform Alex and your father right now." Rose reassured and hung up.

Laura lay on her floor thinking. She was very sorry for what she did to Christine. But thinking about it now, maybe just going to court and paying some amount of money won't be enough.

Maybe she needed to get real help. She needs help. Why was everyone in her life hurting her.

Or rather, why did she attract people who'd hurt her. Rose, Beatrice.

She needed help and she was going to go get it and not sit around and wait for a few court trials.

_______________________________________________

"Just a minute officer." Alex's secretary was saying to Lucas.

He nodded. She made a quick call.

"You can go in now." She looked up at him from the counter.

Lucas walked into the office.

Alex was swaying his chair slowly.

"Have a seat detective. I don't believe we've had a chance to meet officially." Alex gestured towards the chair opposite him.

"Good to see you too Mr Cooper." Lucas glared at him.

"So to what exactly do I owe this visit detective?" Alex was annoyingly casual.

Lucas was fuming inside. Christine was about to have a child, her first child for this over attractive, spoiled brat. It was eating him up.

He cleared his throat. "Mr Cooper, we have found some interesting details in our ongoing investigation and we'll need some clarifications."

"I'm listening." Alex urged.

"We'll need to be conduct a private questioning for every worker and owner of this hotel." Lucas continued.

Silence.

"Well?" Lucas was getting impatient.

Alex smiled and sat back. "I'm just confused, sorry. If this was actually needed, you'd have started your investigations with it. But now you want to begin questioning halfway into the investigation. That only means one thing; you have a suspect." Alex observed.

Lucas shifted uneasily on his seat.

"So What is really going on detective?"

"Mr Cooper, need I remind you that this is police business and is highly confidential?" Lucas seethed.

"And need I remind you that this is my goddam hotel? And Kevin was also my f*****g best friend? Alex spoke through his teeth, slightly flaring up.

"You should be glad I didn't shut the whole place down." Lucas leaned forward fuming.

Alex smiled. "And why is that?"

Silence.

"Of course, your girlfriend works here. For me." Alex taunted.

"Reeks intense Nepotism." He continued.

Lucas relaxed and sat back.

"Well, if you must know, the person of interest is Veronica Cooper. Your wife. We found some interesting details involving her and we didn't want to raise unnecessary gossip questioning just her. More importantly, if she had something to do with Kevin's murder, we don't want her to suspect anything." Lucas explained calmly.

Alex stared at him.

For a moment there, he wished he was surprised. He wished he was surprised that somehow Veronica was caught in this mess.

"Thank you for your indulgence detective. Whenever you're ready." Alex stood up extending his hand.

"Lucas, please. And thank you for your time." They shook hands.

Veronica.

_______________________________________________

"Alex what's the matter? I came as soon as I got your text." Veronica came hurrying into the office.

Alex had his back to her, facing the window.

"I want a divorce V"

"What?" Veronica was trying to catch her breath.

"What are you talking about Alex?" She moved closer.

He turned around.

"I don't want us to keep wasting our time. We've had our days but now they're gone. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep pretending and fighting. I'm done." Alex was annoyingly calm, his voice barely above a whisper.

Veronica stared at him. Too stunned to speak.

She collapsed into a chair.

"I thought we were getting better. With the baby coming and everything, i... I th... I thought we were gonna make this work?" Her voice broke.

"I thought so too. I just wasn't informed that Kevin was gonna be a part of the process."

Veronica groaned and buried her head.

Apparently, after his little tete a tete with Lucas, Alex had gone looking for CCTV footage of that night and he saw what Lucas and Nadia had seen. He put two and two together and figured out his wife had been screwing his best friend.

Alex sat at the edge of his table, facing her. "I knew you were sticking around for the prenup money. Figured that bit out after the whole Cancer scene. I knew but i wasn't surprised V, i wasn't surprised you were just leeching off me. I just didn't expect you'd betray me with and for my best friend of all people."

Veronica whipped her head up and sat straight.

"You're one to talk Alex hmmm? You never wanted this marriage. I was just arranged for you. Do you know what it felt like all those years? Not being wanted, desired. You have no idea what that feels like, so I'm sorry if I ran off to the first man that showed genuine interest in me." Veronica yelled, getting up.

"You sit there and try to play victim but you're the one who treated me like trash for years! All i wanted was just to be happy and feel safe! Was that too much to f*****g ask for??!" She continued.

"I'll have my lawyer draft up the documents and have them sent to you. I want you out the house today." Alex stated calmly, walking to his chair.

"I'm sorry Mr CEO. But it's too late now or have you forgotten you have a baby on the way and your little miss surrogate isn't subscribing to the whole 'one parent family?' hmm?" Veronica scorned.

"That is absolutely none of your business anymore. I'll handle it. So at the risk of repeating myself, I want you out of the house today." Alex replied turning his attention away from her.

"I see. But don't forget that's also my child,love. And just as easily as I convinced her to keep that child, i can convince her not to." Veronica threatened as she stormed out the office.

Alex took a deep breath.

_______________________________________________

"How difficult is it actually not to get caught cheating?" Magda, Veronica's mother rolled her wheelchair away from Veronica.

Veronica sighed as she rummaged vigorously through the boxes in the wardrobe.

"I just came here to get something mother. Blaming me won't help . But you know what will? Coming here to help search for this thing."

"Veronica you promised, that after all that happened, you would take care of me." Her mother was looking at her from the vanity mirror.

"I know, i know, I will. I think I got through to him. He really wants that child." Veronica finally pulled a small storage box from the wardrobe and came to sit at the vanity table.

"And you don't?" Her mother moved her wheelchair closer to her.

"It doesn't matter." Veronica shrugged.

Truth was, she had actually been thinking about the baby. And as much as she tried to deny it, she felt she might be getting attached to the baby. But it felt wrong to want the baby for so many reasons.

One, she wasn't the one who was going to bear the child, the miscarriages, she felt like a greedy person to want the child.

She had been justifying the feeling with the fact that she was married to the father of the baby, so it was only natural that she desired the child, but now Alex wanted a divorce.

"He must also want you. V. You have to make him also want you." Her mother distracted her thoughts.

She massaged Veronica's shoulders.

"Ughh! Darling, your skin is so dry."

Magda gets a bottle of moisturizer from the table.

"Beauty is your weapon. One of your weapons." She tells Veronica as she applies the moisturizer on her.

"You understand what I'm saying?" They locked eyes in the mirror.

_______________________________________________

Alex came back home to the penthouse, exhausted with all he had had to think about.

Veronica being involved with Kevin's murder, pressure from his father with how business was going very badly, the divorce, the court case, Christine and the baby and how he was going to tell her about the divorce.

He walked straight to the bar, dumped his office bag and poured himself a drink.

"Welcome home." Veronica said softly behind him.

Alex spun around startled.

"I thought I asked you to leave today?"

Veronica stared at him.

"25,000$ cash right now, to leave this apartment, while I finalize the divorce." Alex proposed.

"Alex, stop okay?" She moved closer.

She was putting on a night robe, with her black seductive corset underneath, in hopes to win his heart again like her mother advised.

"I made a mistake." She continued.

"A mistake? A mistake is spilling coffee on a stranger, V." Alex replied.

"You're not thinking clearly." She whispered moving closer. They were at a finger's length apart now.

"I am. I'm thinking about the fact that you screwed my best friend."

"Well, stop thinking about that. Think about Christine and the baby." She put her hands on his shoulder.

But the thing was, he had actually. He had been thinking about her throughout the day. And not just as some random woman who was carrying his baby. He was....

Veronica smirked. She had hit the right vein.

She pulled out something from behind her cloth.

"Remember this?" She said looking into his eyes.

He looked down. It was a cap crotchet piece Veronica had knitted at a beach, the first time they had been here in Miami.

They had laughed so hard at how wide the cap was and how the baby's head wouldn't fit in. She was pregnant at that time. It was their first time trying the insemination thing after the Cancer.

They eventually concluded in between laughs, that the baby would grow into it.

"We were so happy." Veronica was still looking into his eyes.

"And then we had this whole bad luck with all the miscarriages. But we can get back to what we used to be, Alex. We can get back there, we just have to try." Veronica persuaded.

Alex looked at her and they kissed. They kissed with so much emotions, but it wasn't love. It was anger, it was regret, it was frustration, nothing remote to love and desire. And Alex felt it.

Veronica's robe dropped to the ground, Alex lifted her and carried her to the room.