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

Kai pulled up so fast the tires screeched. Ace slid into the backseat with me still in his arms, barking out orders before the car even fully turned.

He held me like I was slipping away. I felt his lips on my forehead, his breath all over my face.

"Stay with me, Hazel. You're okay. The baby's okay. I promise. Just hold on."

"I'm scared," I whispered. "I don't want to lose—"

"You're not going to." His voice cracked. "I won't let that happen."

By the time we got to the hospital, I could barely keep my eyes open.

Doctors were yelling. Nurses surrounded me. Lights. Gloves. Cold metal. I was pulled from Ace's arms onto a gurney. Someone kept asking me questions. Someone else pushed an oxygen mask over my face.

And Ace—he never let go of my hand until they physically made him.

"She's five months," I heard him say. "She's been on supplements—just check the baby, please—"

Chapter 66