Chapter 13

Pinakabagong kabanata

• The Alpha’s Accidental Surrogate    Chapter 49

  Lisa’s POV"Why'd you turn so quickly?" Ronan asked.I paused, buying myself a couple precious seconds for my cheeks to feel normal. Couldn’t let them see me with even the slightest blush. After enough time had passed, I turned.I blinked. He was still there, standing with that ever-so-slight tilt of amusement in his voice. I hadn’t realized I’d practically spun on my heel after he plucked that leaf from my hair. It felt oddly intimate, okay?I crossed my arms, putting on a pout I didn't fully commit to. "Oh, don't get sassy with me. After how many days of just disappearing into thin air, now you decide to show up. What happened to being busy?"He raised a brow. "So, you’re not talking to me now?""Nope.""Okay," he said simply, then turned and walked off.Wait.Wait, what?I stood there frozen for a moment, lips parted like a fish out of water. That was not how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to prod. Poke. Banter back. Apologize, even. Something.But nope. Just a whole lot

• The Alpha’s Accidental Surrogate    Chapter 48

  Lisa’s POVI didn’t mean to linger.The door had been open just wide enough, the sound of fists hitting flesh and breathy grunts pulling me closer with a strange magnetism I couldn’t quite explain. But now I stood there like some statue with legs, watching, wide-eyed.Ronan noticed me first."Why are you standing there just moping?" he called out casually, that lazy smirk already on his lips."Do you have a thing for moping? Cause you've been doing it a lot lately."‘Lately he says! We haven’t seen each other in days. The audacity!’ I thought, yet said nothing. I blinked. Twice. And then again.Was it hot in here? Or was it just…Well.Every single man in the room was shirtless and glistening in sweat. Except Ronan. He looked exactly as he always did — calculated, composed, not a single bead of sweat trailing down his temple, or anywhere for that matter.It was then I realised unlike everyone else, he was the only one not in training gi. He was in his suit pants. Which told me he mig

• The Alpha’s Accidental Surrogate    Chapter 47

  Lisa’s POVI used to think that my past would stay in the past if I just ignored it long enough. Buried it deep under new experiences, new clothes, new people.But it has a way of resurfacing, especially when you least expect it — when you're smiling, when you're thriving, when you're finally starting to feel like maybe you deserve the life you're building. And then boom. A familiar name, a smug face, or worse.The universe has a cruel sense of timing. Because just when I was getting comfortable, just when the discomfort of my old life started to loosen its grip, it found a way to tighten again.Selena wasn’t just a bad memory. She was an open wound that had festered long enough. And somehow, in some twisted full-circle moment, we were going to work together. As if the universe wanted to see how far I’d come.Or maybe it wanted to test if I was ready to finally destroy what once destroyed me.Either way, I wasn’t having any of it.But ready or not, here she came."What?" I asked again

• The Alpha’s Accidental Surrogate    Chapter 46

  Lisa’s POVSome mornings hit with a kind of anticipation that makes everything feel almost cinematic. This morning wasn’t quite that, but it came close. I woke up earlier than usual, heart already beating a little too fast. The sunlight bleeding through my blackout curtains had this honey-like glow that begged to be caught on camera.‘Not today.’I didn’t waste time lazing around however. Much like the day before.I spent my entire free day doing what Mrs. Jocelyn had asked. Barely a moment of rest between struts, research and making a portfolio that was ‘distinctly me’.Morning turned into afternoon, then into evening, and before I realized it, the day was gone. The ballet studio became my world — soft music echoing off mirrored walls, the squeak of my socks against polished floors, and the quiet rhythm of movement I was finally starting to get the hang of.By the time I fell into bed that night, sore in muscles I didn’t even know I had, I was also oddly satisfied. Maybe I didn’t lo

• The Alpha’s Accidental Surrogate    Chapter 45

  Lisa’s POVBy the time I got home that evening, my heels were punishing and my head was buzzing with logistics, to-do lists, and mental Pinterest boards of poses.I kicked off my shoes the second my bedroom door shut behind me and went for my laptop.Notebooks? Check. Water bottle? Not checked. A ridiculous level of determination? Double check.I curled up on the edge of my bed, pulled a pillow behind my back for support, and opened YouTube. I typed in Runway Modeling for Beginners and hit play.I must've watched at least five different videos, all of them featuring long-legged women walking like panthers while instructors explained foot placement and how to move your hips without looking like you’re trying too hard. My attempts to mimic them were... tragic.“How do they make it look so easyyy?!”I flopped on the bed for a second, scrolling through the comments under the videos. Most were people gushing over the instructors or lamenting their own awkward walks. But one caught my eye:

• The Alpha’s Accidental Surrogate    Chapter 44

  Lisa’s POV"Who? Me?" I asked, just to confirm I wasn’t hearing things.Mrs. Jocelyn didn’t miss a beat."Of course you," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.She walked around her desk, her heels echoing in that deliberate click that always made people straighten in her presence."I know how that might sound," she continued, slipping her glasses down to the bridge of her nose."But what I’m asking you to do isn’t to singlehandedly plan a multi-brand merger event from scratch. You’ll head it, yes. And you’ll give ideas. But the major planning will be handled by me. You’ll be the vision. The front. Handling all the pesky tasks I can’t handle myself."“To everyone else, you're the one handling everything. But in reality, you answer to me.”I sat straighter, unsure if I should be terrified or honored."Me? As the face?"Petra was just as shocked as I."Exactly that. You’ve got potential, Lisa. Don’t waste it. I expect much from you.”She gestured toward the folder