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 was in the sunroom when they came in. The fancy glass doors, huge windows… it was supposed to be a peaceful place to unwind, but today it felt like an interrogation room. The sun curved around the space, but it felt wilting—a brightness that hurt instead of healed.

I looked up from my book the second I heard them.

Ace came in, arm around a girl—tight, familiar. Not like an acquaintance. Not introducing her. Just… arm around. Moving with an easy, practiced intimacy.

I shut the book without thinking and stood.

They paused, noticed me, hesitated, then kept walking toward his room. Just walked away like I didn't exist.

I stared after them, chest tight. My thumb dug into the fabric of my top. Eyes stung with wanting to cry. I wouldn't. Not now.

I turned and walked off. Fast. Not really thinking where I was going.

Chapter 40