The Billionaire Secret surrogate

Livia's POV I had seventeen minutes before the black cars from the Valenti family came to take me away. My father had signed me up as a surrogate candidate for Alessio Valenti, the only son and heir of the Valenti Group, one of the most powerful business families in the country. Alessio had been in a coma for months after a terrible car accident, and the doctors could not say when, or even if, he would wake up. His parents were desperate to secure the future of their family and their company, so they had created a private surrogate programme for women who met their requirements. Every major branch of the Valenti business network had been asked to provide suitable candidates, and my father had put my name forward without asking me. I was young, healthy, unmarried, and, most importantly to him, I had no choice in the matter because he controlled almost everything in my life. My boyfriend was supposed to save me from it. "Wait for me," Dante had whispered the night before. "I'll knock three times. We'll leave before anyone notices." It was almost two in the morning, and Dante still had not knocked. I sat on the edge of my bed in my mother's old cotton dress, staring at the door while I tried to convince myself that he was simply late. The dress was faded blue, with two missing buttons at the collar and a coffee stain near the hem that had refused to disappear no matter how many times I washed it. My bag was packed beside my boots, and inside it were two changes of clothes, the small locket my mother had left me before she died, every coin I had saved from three years of working in the kitchen, and an old photograph of my younger brother, Elio, smiling with his two front teeth missing. He was twelve now, and both teeth had grown back, but I loved that picture too much to replace it. That was everything I owned that was worth taking with me. I trusted Dante. I had trusted him since I was fourteen, when he first looked at me across the school lunch hall and called me pretty with that easy smile that made me believe my future was already decided. For three years, we had held hands under tables, kissed behind buildings when nobody was watching, and whispered about the life we would have together once he finished school and took over his father's company. He was going to become the next CEO of his family's business, and I was going to be his wife. That was the plan. Most of the girls in our neighbourhood thought the Valenti surrogate programme was a dream opportunity. They talked about it whenever they gathered in the kitchens or outside the small shops, whispering with excited smiles about the money, the luxury, and the possibility of becoming part of the Valenti family. They imagined living in the family's private estate, wearing expensive clothes, eating food prepared by personal chefs, and giving birth to the child who would one day inherit one of the largest business empires in the country. Some even joked that if Alessio woke up and chose to marry his child's mother, the woman would become the most powerful woman in the country. I did not care about any of that. I only wanted Dante. But my father had never cared about what I wanted. Fourteen minutes remained. I looked at the clock again and felt my chest tighten as I thought about what was waiting for me downstairs. My father had already signed the papers. The Valenti family's representatives had already been informed that I was their chosen candidate, and once those cars arrived, I knew there would be no way for me to refuse them without making my father's anger even worse. My mother had always told me that I had to be careful around powerful people because they could take what they wanted when ordinary people could not protect themselves. She had been right. She had given me the locket when I was a child and told me never to let anyone make me feel as if my life belonged to them. I had never fully understood why she had been so serious when she said it, but after she died, those words stayed with me. I looked down at the locket around my neck and closed my fingers around it. I had spent years trying to make myself small enough to survive in my father's house. I spoke softly, avoided arguments, wore simple clothes, and never asked for more than I knew he was willing to give. Whenever I wanted something, I learned to swallow the desire before it reached my lips. Dante used to tell me that he loved how quiet and gentle I was. So I stayed that way for him. I stayed small for him. I stayed obedient for him. Ten minutes remained, and I could not wait anymore. I picked up my bag, slipped my boots on, and slowly opened my bedroom door. The hallway was dark, and the entire house was quiet except for the faint sound of voices coming from downstairs. My father had probably invited people over to celebrate my departure, because he had been drinking with his friends earlier that evening and had seemed strangely pleased with himself. I stepped into the hallway and carefully closed my door behind me before moving toward the stairs. I was halfway down when I heard laughter coming from the room beside the staircase. I knew that laugh. Dante. My heart jumped with relief, and for a moment I almost smiled because I thought he had finally come for me. Maybe he had decided to meet me somewhere inside the house instead of knocking on my door. Maybe everything was going to be fine after all. Then I heard another laugh. It was a woman's voice. I stopped. The door to my father's study was slightly open, and warm light spilled into the hallway through the narrow gap. I knew I should keep walking. I knew I should pretend I had heard nothing and continue toward the back entrance. Instead, I moved closer. I looked through the opening. Dante was sitting on the leather sofa with Maristella, my father's business partner's daughter, sitting beside him. His shirt was partly unbuttoned, and her arms were wrapped around his neck as she kissed him. His hand rested on her waist while she leaned against him like she belonged there. For a few seconds, I could not understand what I was seeing. Then I heard him laugh. "She probably still thinks I'm coming for her," he said. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag. Maristella smiled against his shoulder. "You really told her to wait for you?" "Of course I did. It made everything easier." His voice was calm, almost amused. "She is probably sitting in her room right now, waiting for me like I promised." My stomach turned. "You're horrible," Maristella said, although she was smiling. Dante shrugged. "What was I supposed to do? Tell her I didn't want her anymore and have her make a scene? Everyone knows she's the daughter of a senior employee at my father's company. If I suddenly dumped her, people would talk. I have a reputation to protect." Every word hurt more than the one before it. I pressed my hand against the wall because my legs suddenly felt too weak to hold me. Maristella leaned closer to him. "So your father really helped arrange this?" "Her father did most of the work." Dante smiled. "The Valenti family needed a suitable surrogate, and he volunteered her name. She is young, healthy, and apparently meets all their requirements. The agreement is already signed." "And you're just letting them take her?" "Why wouldn't I?" he asked. "It solves the problem for everyone. The Valenti family gets their heir, her father gets money and a better position, and I get rid of a girlfriend I stopped loving months ago." My heart broke. I had spent three years believing that man loved me. I had believed every promise, every kiss, every whispered plan about our future. All this time, he had been looking for a way to get rid of me. Maristella was quiet for a moment before asking, "But what if she comes back?" Dante's expression changed. "She won't." His voice was colder now, and something about the certainty in it frightened me. "What makes you so sure?" "Because Alessio Valenti's condition is not as simple as everyone thinks." Dante leaned back against the sofa. "I have friends who work around the Valenti family. They told me the doctors have already tried several procedures to see how Alessio responds to physical stimulation, but his condition is complicated. Even though he is unconscious, his body reacts badly to certain treatments." Maristella frowned. "What does that have to do with her?" "The surrogate procedure is risky because Alessio cannot give consent himself, so everything has to be handled through the family's legal team and doctors. If something goes wrong, the Valenti family will protect their reputation before they protect some girl they barely know." He smiled. "Even if she comes back, she won't be the same person who left." Maristella stared at him before her lips slowly curved into a smile. "So I really am going to marry you?" Dante pulled her closer. "You were always going to be my wife." He kissed her slowly, and I watched them with tears running silently down my face. That was the moment everything inside me broke. I had spent the entire night waiting for Dante to come and save me, while he had been in this room celebrating the fact that I was being taken away. My fingers loosened around my bag, and the locket slipped from my neck. It hit the wooden floor with a sharp c***k. The room went silent. Dante's head snapped toward the door. Maristella turned as well. For a few seconds, none of us moved. They saw me standing there in my dead mother's faded dress, my packed bag hanging from one hand, and tears covering my face. I wanted to stop crying. I wanted to turn around and walk away with whatever dignity I had left. But I could not stop the tears. Dante looked at me without even a trace of regret.