Chapter: CHAPTER 7SAMANTHA POVNapatitig ako sa hawak kong mamahaling smartphone. Ramdam ko ang lamig ng titanium body nito sa palad ko. Grabe, si Zach talaga... kapag nagbigay ng gamit, walang tipid-tipid. Pero alam kong hindi ito regalo. Isa itong tool para sa transaksyon namin."Salamat," mahina kong sabi habang dahan-dahang hinahaplos ang box. "Sino naman ang una kong tatawagan sa kumpanya? Halos lahat ng board members doon, sunud-sunuran na kay Tiyo Alfonso simula nang mawala sina Papa."Humarap sa akin si Zach, sumandal nang bahagya sa hamba ng pinto ng maliit kong kwarto. Kahit medyo madilim ang corridor, kitang-kita ko pa rin ang talas ng mga mata niya. "May isa kang mapagkakatiwalaang tao na hindi pa nabibili ng tiyuhin mo. Si Atty. Serrano. Siya ang may-hawak ng huling habilin at mga personal na dokumento ng mga magulang mo bago sila namatay."Napatigil ako. Si Atty. Serrano. Tama siya. Paano ko ba naman nalimutan ang matandang abogado na pinalaki na rin ako? Noong nagmamadali akong tumakas m
Last Updated: 2026-06-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 6SAMANTHA POVPara akong nabuhusan ng malamig na tubig habang nakatitig sa akin si Cheska. Ang kaninang maarte at mapagmataas niyang mukha ay napalitan ng purong gulat at takot. Ang mga daliri niya na humila sa mask ko ay dahan-dahang bumaba, nanginginig habang nakaturo sa akin.Hindi ko alam kung ano ang unang pupulutin ko—ang basag kong salamin sa sahig o ang natitira kong pride."S-Samantha Villamonte..." nauutal na ulit ni Cheska, halos pabulong na lang ang boses pero sapat na para dyanig sa buong kusina. "Ikaw... Ikaw ang missing heiress? Pero bakit... bakit ka nagpapakasasa sa dumi dito?"Napakagat-labi ako. Humarap ako sa kanya nang tuwid, hindi na nag-abalang pulutin ang mask ko. Kung alam na rin lang niya, wala nang point na magtago pa ako o magpanggap na takot. Pero bago pa ako makapagsalita, naramdaman ko ang mabibigat na hakbang ni Zach papalapit sa amin. Isinara niya ang pinto ng kusina, tuluyang kinandado ang ingay sa labas kung saan nandoon ang mga importanteng bisita mu
Last Updated: 2026-06-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 5SAMANTHA POVNapatitig ako sa puting papel na itinulak ni Zach sa tapat ko. Maayos ang pagkaka-print nito, may bullet points, at mukhang ginawa talaga niya bago siya natulog kagabi o baka madaling-araw na. Masyadong mabilis at plantsado ang mga galaw ng bilyonaryong 'to.Dahan-dahan kong kinuha ang papel. Binasa ko ang mga nakasulat habang pinapakiramdaman ko ang bawat hininga niya mula sa kabilang panig ng lamesa. HOUSE RULES & NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT (ADDENDUM) 1. Strict confidentiality. Walang ibang tao sa mansyon ang pwedeng makaalam ng totoong pagkatao mo, kabilang si Manang Elena at ang mga bodyguard. 2. No special treatment. Mananatili ang sahod at schedule mo bilang stay-in maid. 3. Zero contact sa labas. Bawal gumamit ng lumang cellphone o mag-log in sa mga personal na social media accounts. All internet usage under this roof is monitored. 4. Performance standards. Ang anumang palpak na trabaho o hindi pagsunod sa utos ay may kaukulang bawas sa proteksyong ibinib
Last Updated: 2026-06-18
Chapter: CHAPTER 4SAMANTHA POVParang tumigil ang pag-ikot ng mundo ko. Ang lamig ng mga daliri ni Zach sa baba ko ay sapat na para magtaasan ang balahibo ko sa braso. Nakatitig lang ako sa kanya, hindi makahuma, habang ang anunsyo sa TV sa likod niya ay patuloy na nagpa-flash ng litrato ko.Huli na. Wala nang kawala. Kitang-kita sa mga mata niya ang kasiguraduhan. Alam kong matalino si Zach, pero hindi ko akalaing sa loob lang ng isang araw ay guguho ang buong pagpapanggap ko. Anong gagawin ko? Kung isusumbong niya ako kay Tiyo Alfonso, ibabalik ako sa mansyon at mapipilitang magpakasal sa matandang investor na 'yon. Pwede ring gamitin niya ako bilang alas laban sa kumpanya namin. Karibal ng mga Montemayor ang mga Villamonte sa halos lahat ng malalaking bidding sa bansa.Dahan-dahan kong itinabig ang kamay niya at umatras ng isang hakbang, pilit na pinapanatili ang natitirang pride sa katawan ko. Inayos ko ang tayo ko at diretsong tumitig sa kanya, kahit na nanginginig ang mga tuhod ko."Ano'ng plano
Last Updated: 2026-06-18
Chapter: CHAPTER 3SAMANTHA POV"Diyos ko, salamat naman at umalis na si Ma’am Cheska," bulong ni Manang Elena habang pinupunasan ang noo niya. "Hija, bilisan mo na riyan at iakyat mo na ang pagkain ni Sir Zach sa study room niya. Doon daw siya maghahapunan dahil may tinatapos na namang report.""Sige po, Manang," sagot ko habang maingat na inilalagay ang seared salmon at salad sa isang malaking tray.Habang paakyat ako sa grand staircase bitbit ang tray, hindi ko mapigilang mapaisip. Bakit ako ipinagtanggol ni Zach kay Cheska kanina? Sa hitsura at reputasyon niya, akala ko hahayaan niya lang akong tapakan ng kung sino. Siguro sadyang ayaw niya lang talaga ng may nangingialam sa pamamalakad niya sa bahay.Hinalikan ko ang pride ko nang makarating ako sa tapat ng dambuhalang pintuan ng study room niya. Kumatok ako ng tatlong beses gamit ang dulo ng siko ko dahil puno ang mga kamay ko."Come in," narinig kong sabi ng malalim niyang boses mula sa loob.Gamit ang balikat ko, dahan-dahan kong itinulak ang pi
Last Updated: 2026-06-18
Chapter: CHAPTER 2SAMANTHA POVNakahinga ako nang maluwag nang sa wakas ay tumalikod na si Zach at lumabas ng dining room. Parang biglang bumalik ang hangin sa baga ko. Grabe, ganoon pala ang pakiramdam kapag bilyonaryo ang nagagalit—para kang unti-unting pinapatay sa titig.Sino ba ang lalaking 'yon para tratuhin ako nang ganyan? Kung nasa normal na sitwasyon lang ako, malamang ay na-firing squad na siya ng mga abogado ng pamilya ko. Pero wala ako sa posisyon para mag-inarte. Katulong ako rito. Si Samantha Villamonte na dating nagmamay-ari ng walk-in closet na kasinglaki ng isang condo unit ay kailangan nang mag-adjust sa reyalidad.Mabilis kong nilinis ang lamesa. Dinala ko ang mga plato sa kusina at doon ko ibinuhos ang lahat ng inis ko sa paghuhugas. Kinuskos ko ang kawali nang napakadiin, na para bang ang mukha ni Zach ang nililinis ko. Napatingin ako sa mga kamay ko—namumula na ang mga palad ko at medyo humahapdi na ang mga gasgas na nakuha ko kagabi habang tumatakas kay Tiyo Alfonso."Hija, pase
Last Updated: 2026-06-18
THE DON'S SECRET SURROGATE
"From this day on, he is not your son. You do not exist to him."
To save her dying father, Alessia Romano signed away her maternal rights, endured a painful pregnancy, and surrendered her newborn son to Lorenzo De Santis—the ruthless Mafia Don who ruled the city's underworld.
Three years later, unable to silence a mother's longing, Alessia returns under a false identity and infiltrates the heavily guarded De Santis mansion as Elijah's nanny. The little boy is drawn to her from the very beginning, unaware that she is the mother he has never known.
Living under the same roof with Lorenzo awakens a dangerous attraction neither of them can deny. Stolen glances become stolen kisses, and Alessia dares to believe the cold-hearted Don might truly love her.
Until he introduces another woman as his fiancée.
Realizing she was nothing more than the woman who carried his heir, Alessia makes the hardest decision of her life. She flees with Elijah, leaving behind the torn surrogacy contract that once stole her future.
Now, the Mafia King who bows to no one has sealed every exit from the city. He will stop at nothing to reclaim his son... and the woman who walked away with his heart.
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Chapter: CHAPTER 5Alessia's POVBianca Moretti walked into the estate like she already owned it. Draped in head-to-toe white silk with dark sunglasses pushed onto her hair, she radiated money, power, and cruel arrogance."Ew," she drawled, stopping short right in front of me and Elijah at the bottom of the stairs. She peeled off her sunglasses, looking me up and down with open disgust. "Is this the nanny? She looks like she belongs in a shelter, not tending to a De Santis heir."Elijah shrank behind my legs, his little fingers tightening around my apron. I kept my chin up, keeping my face completely blank. "Good morning, Lady Moretti.""Don't speak to me unless I address you directly," she snapped softly, stepping past us as if we were trash blocking her path.That afternoon, the cruelty didn't stop. Lorenzo called a formal dinner in the grand dining room. I was ordered to stand near the side wall alongside the senior staff, holding a tray of wine glasses.At the head of the table sat Lorenzo. Beside h
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 4Alessia's POVAfter the ambush, the atmosphere inside the estate shifted completely. Lorenzo locked the entire property down, doubling the security at every exit. But the biggest change was happening behind closed doors.He didn't make me sleep in the servants' quarters anymore. He moved me directly into the suite connected to Elijah’s nursery, giving me free rein as his son’s personal caretaker. On paper, I was still an employee. But the way Lorenzo looked at me when we passed each other in the hallways made my skin burn with a dangerous heat.It was past midnight when I finally rocked Elijah back to sleep. The trauma of the attack still made him wake up screaming every few hours, and my arms were aching from holding him.I gently tucked him into his small bed, pulling the duvet over his chest. I smoothed his soft dark hair away from his forehead, kissing his temple before stepping quietly out of the nursery into my adjoining room.I turned off the main lights, leaving only the soft
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 3Alessia's POVBy my third week at the estate, the exhaustion was settling deep into my bones. But physical tiredness was nothing compared to the emotional torture of watching my son from a distance.On Tuesday afternoon, everything fell apart in the main hallway.Elijah was having a meltdown. He sat in the middle of the carpet, crying so hard he was gasping for air. His face was flushed red, tears soaking his small collar. Next to him, his elder nanny, Clara, looked flustered and exasperated, holding out a silver bowl of oatmeal."Young master, please, just one bite," Clara begged, her voice high and strained. "Your father will be furious if he finds out you haven't eaten all day."Elijah just pushed the bowl away, sending it clattering onto the floor. Soft warm oatmeal splattered across the expensive rug."No! Go away! I want my mama!" Elijah sobbed, burying his face in his tiny hands.My heart shattered right then and there. Clara huffed in frustration, raising her hand as if to gra
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 2Alessia's POVThree years sounds like a short time. But when every single second is spent missing a piece of your own soul, three years feels like a lifetime in hell.I sat on the edge of the narrow twin bed in my tiny room, smoothing down the dark fabric of my uniform. White apron, black dress, non-slip shoes. Plain. Unremarkable. Exactly what I needed to be.It took me thirty-six months, a fake identity under the name "Elena Cruz," and every favor I could beg from people in the underground to land a job here. The De Santis estate was practically a fortress. High stone walls, armed guards at every gate, and security cameras covering every single inch of the property. Normal people spent their whole lives trying to stay as far away from Lorenzo De Santis as possible.I had willingly walked right back into his lair.I took a deep breath, clutching the small silver cross necklace hidden beneath my collar. My hands were shaking, but I forced my legs to move. I had a job to do."Elena! St
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 1Alessia's POVThe sterile smell of bleach and isopropyl alcohol always made my stomach turn. But tonight, sitting under the flickering fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway, it felt like a death sentence.Through the small glass window of the ICU door, I could see my father. Monitors beeped around him, keeping track of a life that was slowly slipping away. Beside me, my mother was silently crying, her hands raw from rubbing them together in panic. We didn't just have medical bills piling up; we had loan sharks breathing down our necks. Loan sharks who didn't care about a dying old man. They wanted their money, and they wanted it now.I looked down at the crisp, heavy paper in my hands. The black ink looked stark against the white sheet.Surrogacy Agreement."Are you sure about this, Miss Romano?"The voice belonged to a man in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. He didn't look like a doctor or a lawyer. He looked like an executioner with a clipboard. He didn't even look at me wit
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Contract With The Ruthless Billionaire
Architectural designer Freya Brooks loses everything in a single night when her fiancé and step-sister steal her designs, ruin her reputation, and leave her penniless. Desperate to survive, she takes a job as a live-in nanny for Noah, the traumatized, non-verbal four-year-old son of ruthless billionaire CEO Killian Cross.
While others saw a broken child, Freya connects with Noah through a quiet language of sketches. But when her toxic ex and step-sister resurface to ruin her new life, the silent little boy does the unthinkable—he breaks his two-year silence to fiercely defend her in front of his father.
Witnessing his son's miraculous breakthrough, Killian refuses to let Freya walk away. He offers her a ruthless proposition: a one-year contract marriage. He will provide the ultimate wealth and legal power to help her destroy her enemies, if she stays to save his son.
Bound by vengeance and convenience, can they survive the dangerous corporate war ahead? When the contract ends, will Freya be able to walk away from the child who needs her—and the billionaire husband she is secretly falling for?
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Chapter: CHAPTER 12FREYA BROOKS POVThe heavy leather seats of the limousine felt incredibly soft, but my body was still stiff from the sheer rush of adrenaline. Outside the tinted windows, the city lights blurred into long, brilliant streaks of gold and white.Beside me, Killian was silently reviewing something on his tablet, the cool blue light throwing sharp angles across his handsome face. He looked entirely unaffected by the bomb we had just dropped on the elite architectural community. To him, destroying a corrupt firm was probably just another Tuesday business meeting.I looked down at my hands, which were resting on my emerald silk dress. The massive diamond wedding ring caught the dim interior light.I actually did it. The thought kept playing in my mind, a rhythmic, steady heartbeat. For months, I had carried the suffocating weight of being the disgraced daughter, the failed architect, the woman who got replaced by her own sister. Tonight, I stripped that narrativ
Last Updated: 2026-07-18
Chapter: CHAPTER 11KILLIAN CROSS POVA collective gasp rippled through the ballroom, the sound cutting through the expensive, climate-controlled air like a physical blade.From my vantage point at the VIP table, I leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. I kept my expression entirely unreadable, but inside, a dark, satisfying rush of anticipation was taking root.Look at her.Freya stood at that podium like she owned the entire room. The emerald green silk of her dress practically glowed under the harsh stage lights, and the Cross family diamonds on her neck caught every fracture of light. When I first brought her into my house, she looked like a woman who had been dragged through the dirt—exhausted, broken, and running on pure survival instinct. I had initially doubted my own judgment. I’m a man who deals in absolute certainties, and betting my son’s fragile stability on a penniless, disgraced architect had felt like a massive corporate gamble.But watching her now? She wasn't a gamble. She was a f
Last Updated: 2026-07-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 10FREYA BROOKS POVMy chin was held high, but my fingers were practically digging into the sleeve of Killian’s tuxedo. The fabric was expensive, smooth, and grounded me.Don’t look down, I told myself. Don’t let them see a single crack.For years, I had walked behind Tristan at events like this, carrying his spare blueprints, his tablet, and his jacket. I had been the shadow that made him look brilliant. Now, the spotlight was so bright it was dizzying."Breathe, Freya," Killian murmured beside me, his voice a low vibration that only I could hear. "They are the ones who should be holding their breath."I took a slow, deep breath, letting the scent of his woodsy cologne calm my racing pulse.Our path to the main floor was a gauntlet of fake smiles and polite nods. Wealthy socialites and powerful developers parted like the Red Sea, their eyes darting from the diamonds around my neck to the wedding ring on my finger. They whispered behind their champagne flutes, their eyes wide with curiosi
Last Updated: 2026-07-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 9FREYA BROOKS POVMy heart was still hammering against my ribs when I stepped back inside the Cross mansion. The adrenaline from facing Tristan was finally starting to fade, leaving a hollow, exhausting ache in its place. I had bluffed well in that café, but the reality of what I was doing was starting to sink in. I was playing chess with people who used to dictate my entire life, and one wrong move would ruin everything—not just for me, but for the little boy upstairs.As I walked through the grand foyer, the heavy silence of the house wrapped around me. I pulled my phone out, staring at the audio file I’d recorded. It was a shield, but a fragile one."You're late."I jumped, nearly dropping the phone.Killian was standing at the entrance of the living room. He had discarded his suit jacket, and the sleeves of his crisp white shirt were rolled up to his forearms. He looked intimidatingly relaxed, leaning against the doorframe wit
Last Updated: 2026-07-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 8FREYA BROOKS POVThe screen faded to black as Killian tapped the tablet, cutting off my father’s face mid-sentence.The silence in the dining room felt heavy, almost violent. My jaw was clenched so hard it ached. Calling me unstable on live television was their ultimate defense mechanism. If they could convince the public that I had lost my mind, then any evidence I brought forward about the stolen blueprints would just look like the delusions of a bitter ex-employee.They really think they can erase me, I thought, my chest heaving as a cold wave of fury washed over the initial shock. They didn’t just want my career; they wanted to destroy my sanity to protect their empire."They’re desperate," Killian said, his voice completely level as he set his coffee cup down with a soft click. "A man only broadcasts his family issues to the media when he knows his foundation is completely compromised. He is trying to force my hand publicly."
Last Updated: 2026-07-06
Chapter: CHAPTER 7FREYA BROOKS POVThe sun wasn't even fully up when my phone started exploding.I woke up to a barrage of vibrations against the nightstand, a frantic, continuous buzzing that made my heart leap directly into my throat. Still half-asleep, I rolled over and squinted at the glowing screen.Thirty-seven missed calls. Forty-two text messages.Most of them were from my father. The rest were from Tristan and Sienna.I sat up, pushing the heavy down comforter off my legs, and opened the first text from Tristan. Freya, what the hell did you do? You married Killian Cross? Are you insane? Call me right now.I swiped to the next one, this time from Sienna. You think you’re smart, don't you? You think you can just sleep your way into the Cross family and ruin our company? Dad is having a heart attack because of you. You better fix this before we destroy you.A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips. They weren't angry because they missed me, and they certainly weren't worried about my well-being. Th
Last Updated: 2026-07-05
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