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

My legs were still shaky, my heart hammering a chaotic rhythm as I adjusted the hem of my shirt. Ace's breath still ghosted my skin, the heat of his hands a brand, the way my name had ripped from his throat like a damn plea. I was trying to catch my breath when the knock came.

"Ace?" It was Callen's voice, muffled through the wood. "We need to—"

"Whatever it is, it can wait. Don't knock again." Ace's voice snapped like a whip, cutting off whatever Callen meant to say.

The door shut. The lock clicked, harsh and final.

And just like that, he turned. The fire in his eyes hadn't gone anywhere. If anything, it burned brighter.

He walked back slowly, his gaze dragging down my body like I was something worth studying. Something he intended to consume. I was still sitting on the edge of the bed, unsure if I should run or just melt into the mattress.

"Get on the bed," he said. Not a question.

Chapter 46