The Billionaire Secret surrogate

Chapter 3

Livia's POV

"His eyes opened."

The words came out before I could stop myself. I looked at the nurse standing near the door, expecting her to react, but she only gave me a doubtful look. She immediately called for the doctor anyway, and within minutes, a doctor entered the room and went straight to Alessio's bed. He checked the monitors, examined Alessio's pupils, and looked carefully at his breathing before studying the readings on the machines.

"No significant change," he finally said. "His vital signs are stable, and his brain activity is still consistent with a deep coma."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"But I saw his eyes open."

The doctor glanced at me, and there was something almost impatient in his expression.

"Sometimes patients in a coma make involuntary movements, including opening their eyes briefly. It does not necessarily mean they are conscious."

He turned back toward the monitors and adjusted one of the settings before looking at me again.

"Some candidates become nervous during the selection process and try to attract attention to themselves. It will not improve your chances."

My face burned.

"I wasn't trying to attract attention."

"Then you should remain calm and let the doctors do their work."

The woman who had brought me into the room folded her arms across her chest.

"Enough," she said. "You have been brought here for an assessment, not to create unnecessary drama. Wait quietly until the other candidates arrive."

I lowered my eyes and said nothing.

But I knew what I had seen.

For one brief moment, Alessio Valenti had been awake.

His eyes had opened, and they had looked directly at me.

I could not explain it, but I knew there had been awareness in those eyes.

Over the next hour, more candidates arrived at the Valenti estate. Women from different cities and wealthy families were brought in one after another, and some families had sent more than one candidate because they believed it increased their chances of being selected.

Most of them looked nothing like me.

They arrived in expensive dresses, high heels, carefully styled hair, and jewellery that probably cost more than everything I owned. Their perfumes filled the hallway as they moved around in small groups, whispering to each other and looking everyone over. Some checked their makeup in their phones, while others adjusted their dresses before asking where Alessio's parents would be standing during the final selection.

They were not only there to become a surrogate.

They were hoping to become part of the Valenti family.

A tall blonde woman wearing a cream-coloured silk dress looked at me from across the room. She leaned toward the woman beside her and whispered something before both of them looked in my direction.

"Is she really one of the candidates?" the blonde asked loudly enough for me to hear. "She looks like she walked in from the kitchen."

Her friend covered her mouth as she laughed.

I looked down at my faded dress and then at the old boots on my feet.

She was right.

I did look like I belonged in a kitchen.

I had never owned expensive clothes, and I had never needed them before. My family had never had the kind of money that allowed us to dress for appearances, and I had spent most of my life working rather than attending parties or social events.

Another woman stood near the window, watching everyone without saying much. She wore a dark red dress and carried herself with confidence. Unlike the others, she did not laugh at me. She simply looked at each candidate as if she were studying her competition.

I moved closer to the wall and stayed there.

Being ignored was nothing new to me.

Dante had always preferred me that way. Quiet, soft-spoken, and standing beside him without drawing attention to myself whenever we attended business gatherings. He had once told me that he loved having a woman who did not embarrass him by demanding attention.

I had believed him.

Now I wondered how many other things he had lied about.

The large doors at the end of the hall suddenly opened, and every conversation stopped.

Alessio's father entered first.

Mr. Vittorio Valenti was a tall, powerful-looking man in his late sixties, dressed in a dark suit that fit him perfectly. His silver hair was neatly combed back, and his expression was cold and serious. Beside him walked his wife, Beatrice Valenti, elegant in a dark green dress with a diamond necklace around her throat.

Behind them came several senior executives, lawyers, doctors, and security officers.

Everyone immediately straightened.

I was a second too late before remembering that I was supposed to greet them.

Mr. Valenti looked around the room, studying every woman without saying anything. His eyes finally settled on us.

"You all know why you have been invited here," he said.

His voice was deep and controlled, and the room became completely silent.

"My son, Alessio, has been unconscious since the accident. His condition remains uncertain, and we cannot continue waiting without making preparations for the future of the Valenti Group."

I lowered my eyes.

So this was not simply about a child.

It was about the company.

Alessio was the only heir to the Valenti empire, and his parents wanted to make sure the company remained in the family regardless of whether he woke up.

Mr. Valenti continued.

"The woman selected for this programme will receive the best medical care available, full financial protection, and a generous compensation package. However, this is not an ordinary surrogacy arrangement. Alessio's doctors have warned us that his condition is complicated, and we will not proceed with anyone who is unwilling to accept the risks."

One of the women raised her hand slightly.

"What kind of risks?"

Mr. Valenti looked at the doctor standing beside him.

The doctor stepped forward.

"Because Mr. Valenti is unconscious, there are several medical and legal procedures that must be followed before we can begin treatment. The selected candidate will undergo additional testing, psychological assessment, and fertility treatment. She must also be comfortable with the possibility that the process may take several attempts."

A nervous silence spread through the room.

Mr. Valenti looked at us again.

"If anyone wishes to leave, you may do so now."

Nobody moved.

Not even me.

I had nowhere to go.

Mr. Valenti nodded.

"Then we begin."

The candidates immediately formed a line.

Some tried to move toward the front, while others whispered to their assistants and family representatives. The blonde woman in the cream dress pushed ahead of several others and positioned herself at the front.

She smoothed her dress, lifted her chin, and walked confidently toward the private medical room where Alessio was lying.

She had barely taken three steps when two security officers moved in front of her.

"Stop," one of them said.

She frowned.

"What?"

"You cannot enter without authorisation."

The blonde woman looked embarrassed as everyone stared at her.

A staff member approached and quietly explained that only candidates who had completed the required medical and legal checks would be permitted into Alessio's room.

She was asked to step aside.

The next candidate approached, but she was also stopped because one of her medical forms had not been completed.

Another candidate was sent back because her psychological assessment was incomplete.

One by one, the women began to realise that the selection would not be as simple as walking into a room and standing beside Alessio.

Some became nervous.

Others became angry.

One woman began crying when she was told that her medical results made her unsuitable for the programme. Her assistant quickly took her away while she argued that her family's doctor had told her she was perfectly healthy.

I stood quietly near the wall, watching everything.

The more I saw, the more I understood that the Valenti family had complete control over the situation.

They had the doctors.

They had the lawyers.

They had the money.

They had the power to decide who was suitable and who was not.

Then someone called my name.

"Livia Bellandi."

I looked up.

"Come with us."

My heart began beating faster.

I followed the doctor through the doors.

Alessio was still lying in the same bed.

The machines beside him continued to make quiet sounds, and his face looked exactly as it had when I first saw him.

Unconscious.

Still.

Untouchable.

I stood several feet away while the doctor checked his condition again.

Then he looked at me.

"You may come closer."

I swallowed and took one step forward.

Nothing happened.

Another step.

Alessio remained still.

I kept walking until I stood beside his bed.

For some reason, the room suddenly felt much colder.

I looked down at him.

I had never met this man before today, yet I felt an uncomfortable sadness when I looked at him lying there. He had everything people dreamed about. Wealth, power, influence, and a company worth billions.

Yet none of it could help him open his eyes.

I reached for his hand.

My fingers had barely touched his when his hand suddenly moved.

I froze.

The doctor stepped closer.

"Did you feel that?"

I nodded slowly.

Before either of us could say anything else, Alessio's fingers closed around mine.

My breath caught.

The monitor beside his bed began to beep faster.

The doctor stared at the screen.

Then Alessio's eyes opened.

This time, there was no mistaking it.

He was awake.

And his dark eyes were fixed directly on me.