The Surrogate's Temptation

CHAPTER006

"Come on!" Sofia shouted from the doorframe, holding Leonardo’s hand in hers.

"Oh no," I whispered to myself, packing the last few documents the surrogate agency had asked for.

"Yes, mom, come on!" Leo piped up with his tiny voice, making me smile. He always knew how to make me laugh.

I hurried to grab my bag and shoved the remaining papers into it. "Sofia, you’re so troublesome. I told you I was coming," I grumbled, pulling Leo out of her grasp as we stepped outside.

"Bye, nanny!" Leo shouted to Maddalena, who was closing the door behind us. Sofia immediately flagged down a cab and told the driver where we were going. Without wasting any time, he opened the door for us, and we hopped in.

I just hoped we wouldn’t be late. We were already behind schedule, with only twenty minutes left before our appointment, and we still had a fifteen-minute drive ahead. A traffic jam was the last thing I needed. I sighed, feeling nervous, but managed to smile at Leo. He was staring at me intently, like he was studying me.

He had his weird moments. The decision I was about to make was risky, but risk was already part of my life. No point in second-guessing things now.

"This is the last requirement," the agent told me, grinning like he’d just won a lottery.

"Thank God!" I muttered under my breath, letting out a sigh of relief. It felt like this whole process would never end, but here we were, done after just one week of back-and-forth paperwork. The agency had asked me to sign some forms and promised to contact me when a surrogate mother was needed.

"Alright, ma’am," the agent said, handing me an envelope. "This contains everything you need for now—what to eat, what to avoid, and also the medication you’ll need for the implantation process."

I smiled back at him. "Thank you so much; I’ll make sure everything’s in order. Just let me know when I’ll be scheduled for the implantation."

"Sure," he said, turning his attention to Leo, who wasn’t really paying attention to anything going on. "And make sure to get this adorable boy a treat."

I giggled, standing up and lifting Leo into my arms. "Thank you; I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon."

"Of course," he replied, standing to escort us to the door. "Thanks again," I added as he held the door open.

"Bye! I’ll miss you!" Leo called out from my shoulder, waving to the doctor standing by the office.

"Bye, dear," the doctor said with a smile, walking back to his office. I saw Sofia sitting in the hallway, clearly worried. She tapped her foot nervously against the floor. I couldn’t help but feel so grateful for her—she was always there, always supporting me.

I couldn’t wait to share the good news with her. The moment she saw me, she jumped up and rushed over, even though I was only a few feet away.

"What did he say?" she asked, eyes wide, her lips pressed together in concern. "Tell me you’re qualified for this. Please tell me you are!"

I sighed dramatically and put on a sad face, pretending like I hadn’t made it. "Sofia, life doesn’t always go as planned."

"Aww," she said softly, touching my cheek. "Don’t worry, sweetie. Disappointment happens to everyone. I’ll help you find another job right away."

Her words hit me hard. I was so moved I almost started crying. I really loved this girl.

"But…" I raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. "Why would you help me find a new job when I already have one?"

Sofia tilted her head, tapping her finger against her cheek. "I’m not sure I get you. You just told me that you—"

"That what?" I interrupted, raising my brows and teasing her.

"Oh. My God." She gasped, her eyes widening with excitement. "Did you qualify for it? Oh my gosh! I’m so happy for you! Congratulations!" She threw her arms around me, not even considering that Leo was in my arms.

"Mommy!" Leo squeaked, his tiny voice high-pitched. "Your friend is squeezing me! She doesn’t like me!"

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" Sofia quickly pulled away, her hand flying to her mouth as she realized she had been hugging Leo too tight. "I’m so sorry, baby! I didn’t mean to!" She gently patted his back. Leo smiled at her and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"It’s okay, Auntie. You’re making my mommy happy, so I’m happy too.

"Aww," both Sofia and I sighed as we wrapped our arms around him. "You’re so sweet," Sofia cooed, pinching his cheek as he giggled, grinning from ear to ear. We all laughed, and after a while, we collected our things, ready to head out.

"Let’s go," Sofia said, taking our bag and leading the way. I smiled down at Leo in my arms, following behind her. Walking out of the building, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I was qualified after all. At first, I had doubts because I had fudged some details. But somehow, I had managed to get through. The lie would last for a year, tops, and it wasn’t like I’d be living with it forever. Besides, my mom needed this. There was no reason to feel guilty.

Alessia

I sat there, glaring at the surrogate the doctor had introduced to us. I exhaled slowly, trying to keep my cool. This was so annoying.

I had told Alessio I would be there soon, that nothing would keep me from him. But then the doctor called, throwing everything off track. I didn’t even want this child. The fact that Luca was willing to pay five hundred million dollars for a woman to carry it felt like a slap in the face. What was so special about this baby? It wasn’t even the first child on earth. And Luca had promised to give her even more if she needed it. Ridiculous.

I rolled my eyes as the doctor explained everything to Luca, who seemed way too focused on the details, grinning like he was in on some big secret. I shouldn’t have married this fool. Getting tied to him was one of my biggest mistakes.

I turned my attention to the surrogate again, trying to ignore the doctor’s voice. Her tight jeans and sweater caught my eye.

The way her body looked in them was… undeniable. And then there was her ponytail—so neat, even though it wasn’t professionally done. But it wasn’t just her body. Her face. Those arched eyebrows that almost looked too perfect.

The sharpness of her nose. Those gorgeous brown eyes that seemed to gleam when she smiled. And that pink, glossy lip that made me want to stare at her. She was stunning, and it made me feel things I didn’t want to feel. If I thought she was that beautiful, what would Luca think? What would he do when he saw her? My heart started racing with jealousy and anger.

I couldn’t focus on anything else. The doctor’s voice faded into the background, and all I could think about was how I didn’t want this woman anywhere near my husband. No. I wasn’t going to let this happen. I wouldn’t let her ruin everything I had.

"Enough of your prattle!" I shouted, slamming my hands against the table as I jumped to my feet. Everyone in the room stared at me, shocked. I didn’t care. The frustration I’d been holding inside boiled over. "Yes, doctor. I’m done. We don’t need a surrogate. This ends here, and that’s final!"

I turned to Luca, who looked at me with his mouth hanging open. I didn’t care about anyone else’s opinions. If my marriage wasn’t safe, if Luca was going to risk everything for this woman, then everything else—my money, my business, even my relationship with Alessio—was going to fall apart. That was absolutely unacceptable.