numusjamesroses

Hazel Rogers never imagined her mother’s failing heart would force her into the arms of a stranger. With hospital bills piling up and no time left, she signs a desperate contract— as a surrogate for a billionaire who she doesn’t know. Ace Milan is cold, calculated, and devastatingly powerful, a man who built his empire on control and keeps  his heart locked behind a fortress. Hazel is just a transaction to him. But when a scary accident forces her to move into his home, the lines blur. He becomes cruel, unpredictable—testing her limits with sharp words and colder actions. Yet beneath his ice is something else, something broken, watching her with eyes that never quite soften. As her pregnancy progresses, Hazel stumbles upon whispers of the woman who came before her—the first surrogate. The one who vanished. No one speaks of her, and Ace refuses to explain. But the house holds secrets. Locked rooms. Late-night phone calls. Half-truths wrapped in charm. And suddenly, the child inside Hazel becomes more than a contract—it becomes a target. Torn between protecting the life growing inside her and uncovering the truth about the man she’s starting to feel dangerously drawn to, Hazel is forced to make a choice. Walk away before she ends up like the last surrogate… or risk everything to unravel the darkness Ace has spent his life hiding. One thing is clear—nothing in this arrangement is what it seems. And some secrets are buried deep for a reason.

THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET : Her contract, His Heart

I wasn't even thinking about anything dramatic when I got out of bed. I just wanted water. My throat was dry, and I couldn't sleep.

I dragged myself down the hallway, yawning, one hand resting on my stomach.

When I stepped into the kitchen, the cold marble tiles kissed my bare feet. I filled a glass from the dispenser and leaned against the counter.

But just as I turned to head back to my room, I heard something.

Then a slow, uneven sound. Like footsteps. Dragged ones.

At first, I thought it was a burglar. Or maybe one of the guards. But when I stepped closer toward the hall that led to the stairs, I saw him.

I blinked, squinting through the dim light. He was… stumbling. Holding the railing with one hand, the other clutched against his side. His shirt was hanging loose. His hair was a mess. Blood smeared down his arm.

Chapter 39