When Bella, a struggling omega, agrees to become a surrogate for a powerful couple, she believes it’s a chance to secure her future. But nothing prepares her for the moment she discovers that Lucas, the charming man she locked eyes with at a bar, is the father-to-be. As she carries their child, Bella finds herself entangled in a web of passion, secrets, and a marriage on the brink of collapse. Lucas’s distant wife, Ava, is caught up in her career, leaving Bella and Lucas to navigate an unexpected connection. As emotions intensify, Bella must confront her growing feelings for Lucas while balancing her role in their delicate arrangement. With every passing day, the lines between duty and desire blur, and soon Bella realizes that her heart, like her body, is no longer her own. A tale of love, betrayal, and forbidden desire, this story explores what happens when the one thing you can’t have becomes the one thing you need
View MoreLucas Stone
His fingers drummed absentmindedly on his desk, eyes glancing across the latest financial report. But he wasn’t reading. His mind, despite the constant hum of activity around him, wasn’t in the office today.
Lucas Stone, CEO and founder of the top leading Tech and Construction company in the world.
A multi-million dollar deal was on the table, one that could expand his empire into uncharted territory.
Normally, this would have been enough to consume his attention. After all, the thrill of the chase, the high stakes—those were the things that had driven Lucas Stone to the top of the business world.
But today, even the potential of adding another feather to his cap couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that grows at the back of his mind.
Lucas has a problem, he wants children….
His gaze shifted to the framed photo on the corner of his desk. The image was perfect…he and his wife Ava standing together, smiling for the cameras at a charity gala last year.
They looked like the ideal couple: he, the powerful, handsome alpha, and she, the stunning omega model with a body people would kill for.
The world saw them as the pinnacle of success, but what the world didn’t see was how fragile the glass had become.
Every perfect photo they took together, every event they attended, only seemed to widen the cracks.
The phone on his desk buzzed, jolting him from his thoughts. He sighs, glancing at the name flashing on the screen.
Ava.
His thumb hovered over the accept button for a moment longer than it should have.
He knew what this call was about, and the sense of duty that used to come with answering her calls had slowly been replaced with something else….dread, or worse, lack of interest.
He pressed the button and lifted the phone to his ear. “Ava,” he greeted her, his voice steady, though lacking the warmth it once used to have for her.
“Lucas, don’t tell me you forgot about tonight.” Her tone was light, almost teasing.
Ava had always been good at keeping her emotions hidden beneath layers of charm. It was one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place.
But now, after four years of marriage, he has grown to recognize the subtle shifts in her voice, the moments when her perfect exterior cracks just enough to reveal what lay beneath.
“I didn’t forget,” Lucas replied. The truth was, he had barely thought about it.
The function Ava was talking about is a gala for some fashion industry event. Just another in a long line of public appearances.
Another night where they would stand side by side, posing for the cameras, presenting the perfect image to the world.
“That’s good,” she said, her voice softening. “I’ve already picked out the most incredible dress. I swear, it’s going to make headlines. Everyone will be talking about us tomorrow.”
Us. Lucas almost laughed at the thought. When was the last time there had been an ‘us’ that wasn’t just for show?
He leaned back in his chair, letting the silence stretch between them for a moment.
“Right,” he murmured. “What time do we need to be there?”
“Eight o’clock. But you know how these things go. Fashionably late is always better.” There was a lightness to her voice, but Lucas could sense that her mind was already somewhere else, probably on the event itself, her public image, and how flawless she would look in that dress.
“Okay,” Lucas agreed, though his tone was neutral. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep doing this…playing the role of the devoted husband at these endless social functions while their marriage crumbled behind closed doors.
“Lucas, you’re still going to wear the suit we picked out last week, right? You know, the charcoal one. It looks great on you,” she added, as if their matching appearances were the most important thing about the night.
“Yeah. I’ll wear the suit,” Lucas said, though it felt like a promise he was making to a stranger.
Ava paused for a moment, sensing his detachment. “I know these things are the least of things you want to do, but it’s important,” she continued, her voice softening. “The press loves us together. We need to stay relevant, especially with everything going on in my career right now. You understand, don’t you?”
Lucas’s jaw tightened. Her career. It was always about her career.
“Yeah, I understand,” he replied, though he wasn’t sure if he meant it anymore.
“Okay, I’ll see you at home later,” Ava chirped, and without waiting for a response, she ended the call.
Lucas let out a slow breath and placed the phone back on his desk, staring at the screen as if expecting it to ring again. But the room remained quiet.
He glanced back at the framed photo on his desk, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the glass. They looked so happy. So perfect. But pictures had a way of hiding the truth, didn’t they?
Four years. That was how long they had been married, and how long it had taken for things to start falling apart.
At first, it had been subtle—the missed dinners, the canceled plans, the way Ava’s attention slowly shifted from him to her career.
He had not minded at first. He was proud of her success, proud to stand by her side as her career skyrocketed. But as time passed, it became clear that her career wasn’t just a part of her life, it was her entire life.
He pushed the photo aside and stared at the stack of contracts on his desk.
His company was thriving, his empire growing larger by the day. But what was the point of it all if he couldn’t share it with the person he loves?
Lucas has always wanted a family. Growing up as an only child, he had dreamed of having a big family of his own—children running through the halls of their home, laughter filling every room.
But Ava… Ava wasn’t ready. She had made that abundantly clear. Even though that was not the agreement they had from the beginning…
She was still enjoying her career, still basking in the glow of her success. And Lucas, in his role as her supportive husband, had swallowed his own desires, telling himself that he could wait.
But how much longer could he wait?
There was a soft knock at his office door, pulling him from his thoughts. The door creaked open, and Declan West, his best friend, stepped inside.
Well….
Bella had barely slept that night. When she woke the next morning, her phone was already buzzing with a message from Lydia. Hey, I talked to my friend. She’s willing to meet you today if you’re free. No pressure, just to chat.Bella stared at the message, her stomach knotting with nerves. It was happening. She had asked for this, hadn’t she? But now that it was real, she wasn’t sure she was ready.She knew she needed the money, knew that this could solve all of her financial problems in one go, but the idea of carrying someone else’s baby still felt so foreign. It wasn’t like she had ever dreamed of being a mother. In fact, she had never thought that far ahead. Her life had been consumed by survival—day-to-day struggles, But maybe this could change that. Maybe surrogacy could be her way out. Okay. I’ll meet her.__The café Lydia had chosen for the meeting was quiet, tucked away in a corner of the cit
The sun was already beginning to set by the time Bella stepped out of another office building with her CV pressed to her chest.The streets were busy with the after-work crowd, people hurrying past in suits and office attire, heading to trendy bars or straight home to their comfortable lives. Bella felt like an outsider, drifting through the sea of people, alone and lost.She pulled her coat tighter around her, shoving her hands into the pockets to keep warm. As much as she hated her job, it had been something. It had kept her afloat. Now, she wasn’t sure how long she could keep her head above water.“What was I thinking?” she whispered, her breath fogging in the cold air.The satisfaction she had felt that day—telling her boss off, walking out of that toxic place with her head held high—already faded.Quitting without a plan had been reckless. She could hear her mother’s voice in the back of her mind, chastising her for being too impulsive, too quick to burn bridges.Her pace slowe
Bella Shaw sat at the small kitchen table of her rundown apartment, staring at the stack of overdue bills.She had long since lost count of how many nights she spent here, alone, trying to figure out how to stretch her paycheck to cover rent, utilities, and the looming mountain of debt.Her phone vibrated against the table, breaking her thoughts. A quick glance at the screen told her it was the landlord again, no doubt to remind her that rent was due. She ignored it, pushing the phone aside with a sigh.“Two weeks,” she muttered, rubbing her temples. “If I can make it two more weeks until the next paycheck, I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse.”But even as she said it, Bella knew things were getting harder. Ever since her mother’s death a year ago, she had been on her own, juggling multiple jobs to keep a roof over her head. Being an omega in a city ruled by powerful alphas meant she had limited options, and finding steady work had never been easy.The only job she had managed to h
Lucas sat in silence next to Ava, his gaze fixed out the window as they made their way toward the gala. Ava, on the other hand, was preoccupied with her phone, scrolling through social media, checking updates on the event they were about to attend.“Looks like everyone’s already arrived,” she murmured, showing him a photo of some A-list couple walking the red carpet. “We’ll make a grand entrance, as always.”Lucas forced a smile, but inside,he was just so fed up. He knew what tonight represented—another evening of playing pretend, of standing by Ava’s side as they smiled for the cameras, a united front masking the growing distance between them. They arrived at the venue, a grand hotel illuminated with dazzling lights, and the chauffeur opened the door for them. As soon as Ava stepped out, the flash of cameras erupted, a chorus of photographers calling their names. She flashed her most radiant smile, taking Lucas’s arm as they posed for the cameras.For a moment, Lucas played along,
“Busy day?” Declan asked casually, Lucas leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his dark hair. “You could say that.”Declan crossed the room, dropping into the leather chair opposite Lucas’s desk. “You’ve been staring at that photo for a while now,” he noted, nodding toward the picture of Lucas and Ava that Lucas had just pushed aside.“Just thinking,” Lucas replied, his voice clipped.Declan studied him for a moment, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Thinking? That’s dangerous for you.”Lucas managed a half-smile but didn’t take the bait. Declan’s usual attempts at humor were one of the few things that had kept him grounded over the years, but today, not even his friend’s lighthearted banter could pull him out of the dark cloud hanging over him.“You want to talk about it?” Declan asked, his voice shifting to a more serious tone. “You’ve been distracted lately.”Lucas exhaled slowly, staring at the contracts spread out on his desk, the words blurring together.
Lucas Stone His fingers drummed absentmindedly on his desk, eyes glancing across the latest financial report. But he wasn’t reading. His mind, despite the constant hum of activity around him, wasn’t in the office today.Lucas Stone, CEO and founder of the top leading Tech and Construction company in the world.A multi-million dollar deal was on the table, one that could expand his empire into uncharted territory. Normally, this would have been enough to consume his attention. After all, the thrill of the chase, the high stakes—those were the things that had driven Lucas Stone to the top of the business world. But today, even the potential of adding another feather to his cap couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that grows at the back of his mind.Lucas has a problem, he wants children….His gaze shifted to the framed photo on the corner of his desk. The image was perfect…he and his wife Ava standing together, smiling for the cameras at a charity gala last year. They looked like the
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