The billionaire's secret surrogate

It was supposed to be simple. No names, no asks, no ties. Only a contract. Ava Lane's hands trembled as she stood ready above the dotted line at the bottom of the costly paper on her desk. Her heart pounded inside her like a risk drum, but she stilled it with one glance into her bag at the piles of medical bills. Do this. or your brother will die. She bit her teeth so hard she could feel the blood. "Miss Lane," stated the woman in the black business attire with a brusque tone, her perfectly manicured nails clicking against the mahogany surface. "You're aware this is a confidential arrangement. If you breach it, we'll pursue legal action. Is that clear?" Ava swallowed hard. Her throat was dry. "Yes. I understand." And you vow to relinquish all rights to the child when it's born?" "Yes." The woman prodded a silver pen forward. "Then sign." Ava's hand moved, virtually mechanical. The ink flowed across the page, signing her name—Ava Lane—for the last time before she was but a nameless womb. She signed away her liberty. Three days later. The fertility clinic was hidden in the heart of Manhattan, private, sterile, and completely silent. Ava stood in a white gown, her bare feet cold against the tiled floor. Her mind was numb as the nurse prepped her for the procedure. “Just relax,” the nurse said gently. “You’ll be under light sedation. You won’t feel a thing.” That was the problem. Ava wished she would feel something. Anything. She woke to darkness and silk sheets. Her head was fuzzy, the scent of cologne too strong. When she opened her eyes, she panicked. This was not a clinic. This was. a bedroom. Not just any bedroom, though. Huge—modern, masculine, luxurious. The type of room that screamed power. And lying in bed with her. was a man. A nude man. Oh my God. She leapt up, the sheet clung to her bare chest. She gasped when the man rolled over and turned to face her. Jawline chiseled out of granite. Dark rumpled hair. Knife-like cheekbones and sinful lips. And ice blue eyes that snapped open the moment she stirred. "Who the devil are you?" he growled, voice husky with sleep. "I— I don't know how I got here," Ava stammered. "I was… at the clinic. I just signed a contract—" His gaze narrowed. "Clinic?" Immediately, realization entered his eyes. He came up slowly, not even bothering to cover himself. He was lethal and calm. "You're the surrogate?" Ava felt her heart plummet. "You're Damien Hart." He said nothing, but his eyes turned cold. The rumors were true. Billionaire. Ruthless. Cold. And now, it seemed, her… mistake? "I don't know what happened," Ava panted. "They sedated me. I wasn't ever supposed to— we weren't ever supposed to—" He rose, pulling on a pair of slacks as if it were business as usual in his billion-dollar world. "This never happened." Ava's words splintered. "It did, though." He glared, cold eyes meeting hers. "You were to give birth to my child. That is all. This? This was not in the plan." "I didn't plan it, either!" He stepped closer to her, his lips inches from hers. "Then pretend it never happened." Ava rolled up the sheets in front of her chest. "I. I might already be pregnant." Silence. Damien's jaw tightened, yet his voice was still low and deadly. "If you are, you will keep quiet. The contract does not permit personal requests." "I'm not trying to trap you," she hissed, her words shaking. "I did this to pay for my brother's surgery." His gaze flickered. Something almost human passed across his features, but it disappeared as fast as it came. “Then keep your end of the deal. Walk away.” “But if I’m pregnant… it won’t just go away.” He turned his back to her. “Then I’ll raise the child. Alone. Like the contract said.” She stared at him. Cold. Calculating. He didn’t even flinch. Ava gathered her clothes trembling fingers, dressed in silence, and proceeded to the door. But not before he uttered a few words that left her immobile. "I don't know how you ended up in my bed, Ava. But if anyone finds out what happened last night… I'll make sure your brother never has to go to a hospital again." Her breath caught. And that was when she realized: this man did not simply own businesses or buildings. He owned people. >She closed the door behind her, heart hurting with every step. But what she had no idea… was that Damien wasn't the only one who had secrets.