The Surrogate Revenge

CHAPTER 12 — THE FIRST MOVE

HEATHER’S POV

The doctor waited until the door closed behind the brothers before pulling a chair closer to the bed.

He checked my back first, then my hips and legs, asking where I felt pain and whether anything felt different from before the fall.

I answered each question honestly, watching his face as he worked.

“You haven't caused a serious new injury,” he finally explained as he put his medical bag aside. “The fall hurt you, but I don't see anything that suggests you've made your condition worse.”

Relief passed through me so quickly that I almost laughed. “Then I'm fine?”

“You're stable,” he corrected as he gave me a look that made it clear he wasn't finished.

“That doesn't mean you should keep trying to get out of bed by yourself. Your legs need time, and forcing them won't make them recover faster.”

“I can't stay in this bed forever,” I argued as I pushed myself a little higher against the pillows. “I can't spend the rest of my life waiting for someone to carry me whenever I need to move.”

“No one is asking you to,” he replied calmly as he gathered his things. “The goal is for you to become independent. You just don't have to prove your independence in one day.”

I looked away, annoyed because I knew he was right. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Rehabilitation,” he answered as he closed his medical bag. “I'll speak with the brothers about bringing in a private specialist who can work with you here. You can start rebuilding your strength safely without having to leave the mansion.”

That sounded better than another lecture about resting, even if the thought of needing a specialist still bothered me.

“Fine,” I muttered as I settled back against the pillows. “But I'm not spending every day doing nothing.”

A faint smile touched his face. “I didn't expect you to.” He stood and headed toward the door before pausing. “And Heather, next time you want to get into that wheelchair, call someone. You falling again won't help you become independent.”

“I'll think about it,” I replied, knowing from his expression that he didn't believe me.

He opened the door, and my brothers immediately looked up from where they had been waiting outside.

Dominic was the first to step forward, his usual commanding expression softening the moment his eyes landed on me.

“Are you all right?” he asked as he approached the bed, his voice quieter than usual. “What did the doctor say?”

I stared at him for a second because the question caught me off guard. He didn't sound like a general checking on an injured person. He sounded like a brother who had genuinely been worried.

“He said I'm fine,” I answered before looking toward the doorway. “Mostly.”

Dominic frowned slightly at the word, but before he could ask another question, footsteps sounded in the corridor, and Ryder walked back into the room.

“So,” Ryder said as he glanced at me, “I leave you alone for five minutes, and you decide to escape from your own bed?”

Despite myself, I smiled. “I was trying to reach the wheelchair.”

“And nearly reached the floor instead,” he replied as he pulled a chair closer. “Very impressive escape attempt.”

I rolled my eyes. “Are you finished?”

“Not even close,” Ryder answered with a grin, though his eyes quickly moved over me to make sure I was actually okay.

Jermaine remained quieter than the others, watching me for a moment before asking, “What did the doctor recommend?”

“Rehabilitation,” I replied as I adjusted the blanket. “He wants to bring someone here to work with me.”

“That can be arranged,” Jermaine said simply.

I nodded, then looked between the three of them. “Good. Now can we talk about something that doesn't involve my legs?”

Dominic folded his arms. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Adrian.”

The room changed immediately.

Jermaine was the first to react, walking toward the small table beside the window. He picked up a thin folder and brought it over before placing several documents in front of me.

“We've been looking into his company,” he explained as he opened the folder. “Adrian is preparing for a major corporate signing. If the deal goes through, it will change the position of his company considerably.”

I reached for the first document, scanning the pages without saying anything. The numbers were familiar. The structure was familiar too. I'd spent years working around Adrian's business, and even though everything felt different now, the language on those pages still made sense to me.

Then I stopped.

“This clause,” I said as I tapped one section with my finger. “This isn't right.”

Jermaine leaned closer. “What do you mean?”

“This wasn't the agreement Adrian was negotiating months ago,” I explained as I read the paragraph again.

“I remember this section because I helped him change it. The original version protected the company if the other party failed to meet certain conditions. This version weakens that protection.”

Dominic looked from the document to me. “How serious is it?”

“Serious enough that I wouldn't sign this if I were Adrian,” I answered as I turned another page. “But that's the strange part. Adrian wouldn't either. He knows this agreement too well.”

Jermaine studied the document, then looked back at me. “So someone changed it without him knowing?”

“Maybe,” I replied as I continued reading. “Or he knows and thinks he has a reason for accepting the risk.”

“What would you do if you were still working beside him?” Jermaine asked as he leaned back slightly, watching me.

The answer came naturally.

“I'd let him think everything was fine until the last possible moment,” I said as I pointed toward the altered section.

“I'd find out who changed it, why they changed it, and what they expect Adrian to do when he discovers the problem. If I told him now, he'd shut the whole thing down before I understood what was happening.”

I stopped speaking when I realized everyone was looking at me.

For the first time since waking up in this mansion, I wasn't thinking about Adrian as the man who betrayed me.

I was thinking about him as a businessman whose habits I knew better than almost anyone.

And that knowledge suddenly felt useful.

“Does Adrian know I'm alive?” I asked quietly.

Dominic answered first. “Not as far as we know.”

I looked back at the documents.

That changed everything.

If Adrian believed I was dead, he would keep moving forward. He would keep making decisions, trusting the people around him and preparing for his biggest business victory without ever considering that I could be watching.

“Don't touch him yet,” I said as I closed the folder.

Dominic's expression hardened. “Heather, he betrayed you.”

“I know,” I replied as I met his eyes. “That's exactly why I don't want you rushing in.”

“He should be dealt with,” Dominic argued as his voice became firmer.

“Waiting gives him more time.”

“Destroying him now gives him a warning,” I answered as I kept my voice calm. “If he suddenly loses everything, he'll know someone is behind it. I don't want him looking for me. I want him comfortable.”

Jermaine's eyes narrowed slightly as he understood where I was going. “You want him to keep moving.”

“Yes,” I said. “I want to know what he's planning before we do anything. I want his financial position, the signing contract, Vivianne's involvement, the people around them, and everything they're counting on at that event.”

Dominic remained silent for a moment before finally nodding. He didn't like it, but he understood that I had made my decision.

Jermaine's phone vibrated before he could respond. He checked the message, and his expression changed.

“The signing was moved forward,” he said as he looked at me. “And Vivianne will be attending beside him.”

I stared at the message for several seconds before looking back at the documents.

“Then I need everything you can find about them,” I said as I folded my hands over the folder. “Not just their business. I want to know about Adrian and Vivianne before I ever entered that marriage.”

Jermaine studied me carefully. “Why?”

“Because if I'm going to understand what holds them together,” I replied, my voice steady as I looked at the names on the page, “I need to know what could make them turn against each other.”