The Surrogate Revenge

CHAPTER 15: THE FIRST STEP

HEATHER’S POV

The next morning, I woke to sunlight falling across my face.

The curtains were already open, and Julian was standing beside the window with his hands in his pockets, looking completely comfortable for someone who wasn't even a member of this household.

I stared at him for a few seconds before asking, “What are you doing here this early?”

He turned toward me with an amused expression. “You used to sleep through everyone calling your name when we were children.”

I frowned at him. “I don't remember that.”

“I remember it,” he replied, and there was something so casual about the exchange that I almost forgot I had only met him properly yesterday. I shook my head, but a small laugh escaped me.

“You're crazy,” I told him. He smiled.

“You said that a lot too.” I rolled my eyes before trying to sit up. The movement reminded me immediately that my legs still weren't strong enough to do everything myself. Julian noticed and stepped toward the door.

“I'll get someone to help you,” he said before calling for a maid.

When the maid arrived, Julian walked out without making the situation uncomfortable. I appreciated that more than I expected.

He didn't hover or act as though my inability to dress myself was something embarrassing. By the time I was ready, he returned just as my rehabilitation instructor arrived, and he stayed in the room while the session began.

He didn't interfere. He simply sat nearby and watched while I worked through the exercises. When I struggled with one movement and had to try again, he shook his head.

“Still stubborn, I see.” I looked at him.

“Do you want to leave?” He laughed.

“There she is.” I almost laughed too, but I forced my attention back to the exercise.

The session lasted longer than I expected. By the time the instructor finally told me to stop, my arms were tired, and my body felt heavy.

“That's enough for today,” she said as she gathered the equipment. “Rest before your next routine.” I nodded, grateful to finally lean back against the pillows.

When she left, Julian looked toward the garden outside. “Do you want to sit outside for a while?” I considered it before agreeing.

I was tired of staring at the same walls, and the idea of fresh air sounded better than spending the rest of the morning in bed. A maid helped me into my wheelchair, and Julian walked beside me as we made our way outside.

The garden was quiet, with only the sound of the fountain breaking the silence.

Julian helped position my chair beneath the shade before sitting nearby. For a few minutes, neither of us said anything.

Then I remembered the conversation from yesterday and turned toward him. “Did you find anything about Adrian?”

His expression became more serious. “I did.” He took out his phone and opened a file.

“The signing is more important than we thought. Adrian is using it to secure major investors and strengthen his company's position.”

I looked at the information on his screen. “And Vivianne?” I asked. “She's expected to appear beside him publicly.”

“How many investors are involved?” I asked. Julian showed me the names. I studied them carefully, asking where each person stood with Adrian and what they were bringing to the agreement.

He answered what he knew, then showed me additional information his family had gathered. The more we looked, the more familiar the situation became.

“I've seen some of these names before,” I said as I pointed at one of them.

“Adrian cared about keeping this person's confidence. If that changes, he'll have a problem.” Julian looked at me. “You think that's the weak point?”

“Not necessarily,” I replied. “I'm still trying to understand the whole structure.”

We spent the next few hours going through the information together.

I asked questions whenever something didn't make sense, and Julian filled in the gaps with what his family had discovered.

Sometimes we disagreed about what a particular detail meant, but neither of us pushed the other aside. We simply went back through the information until we understood it.

Eventually, I leaned back and looked at the documents again. “I don't think the contract is Adrian's biggest weakness.”

Julian lowered his phone. “Then what is?” I thought about it for a moment before answering.

“His confidence.” He waited. “He believes nobody can challenge the future he's built.”

Julian nodded slowly. “And you think that's what we should use?”

“Yes.” I looked toward the garden, thinking about Adrian and the life he believed was secure.

“I don't want him to be frightened. Not yet. If he realizes someone is coming after him, he'll become careful.”

“You want him to keep moving forward,” Julian asked.

“I want him to trust Vivianne, trust the investors, and believe the signing will give him everything he's been working toward.”

I looked back at him. “Then we'll know exactly what can make that confidence collapse.”

A maid eventually arrived to tell us that lunch was ready. Julian asked what I wanted to eat, but I shrugged.

“Anything is fine. I'm not really hungry.” He gave me a look.

“You're eating.” I raised an eyebrow.

“Are you giving me orders now?”

“No,” he replied. “I'm reminding you that revenge is difficult on an empty stomach.”

I laughed before I could stop myself.

“You're so annoying.”

“You've mentioned that too.”

We continued talking over lunch, going through the information one more time. By the time we finished, I was tired but clearer about what I needed next.

“I need a computer,” I told him. Julian looked at me.

“A phone isn't enough for what you're planning.”

“Exactly. I can't keep working through borrowed documents and a phone.” He agreed immediately, but I shook my head when he offered to arrange one himself.

“Ask one of my brothers to handle it. They should know what I'm planning.”

Julian accepted that without arguing. The afternoon passed quietly after that.

We stayed in the garden for a while longer, and I found myself becoming more comfortable around him than I had expected.

He never pushed me to remember him, and that made it easier to listen whenever he spoke about the past.

By late afternoon, Julian finally stood.

“I should go.” I nodded as he headed toward the driveway. He turned once before getting into his car, and I lifted my hand in a small wave. He returned it before getting inside. I watched until the car disappeared through the gates.

That evening, after dinner, I asked one of the staff members to tell Dominic, Jermaine, and Ryder that I wanted them in the dining room.

They arrived separately after finishing their own work, and the moment they entered, their expressions changed when they saw me waiting there.

Dominic was the first to speak.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

Jermaine immediately looked toward my legs. “Is there a problem with your recovery?”

Ryder studied my face before asking, “Are you in pain?” I shook my head.

“Nothing is wrong.” Their expressions didn't relax completely, but they took their seats around the table.

I waited until all three were settled before looking at them. I had spent the entire day thinking about the next move, and now that it was time to say it, I felt strangely calm.

Adrian had taken enough from me already. I wasn't going to let him decide what happened next.

“I called you here because I need your help,” I told them. Dominic leaned forward immediately.

“What do you need?”

I looked at each of my brothers before answering, knowing exactly what I was about to ask them to do.

“I need you to help me destroy Adrian Cole.”