Cael Moriane sat back in his leather chair, staring at the frosted glass of his office window. The air conditioner worked tirelessly. Muffled sounds of the Moriane Empire filled the hall outside, assistants tapping on keyboards, executives barking commands. Inside, the only sound was the faint hum of his phone vibrating on the desk.
He looked at the screen, it was an email from his assistant.
His lips pressed into a thin line. He hadn't cared about the candidates personal stories. Dependability, discretion, and the ability to follow through was all that mattered. Everything else was just noise but after last night he had been uncharacteristically curious.
He had noticed that it was her first time with a man and he soon wanted to know more about her.
He had instructed his assistant to run a proper and complete check on Anaïs. He wanted to know more than what the agency was able to gather about her.
The buzz of the intercom broke the silence. His assistant’s voice came through, deliberately professional. “Your eleven o’clock meeting is ready.
“Understood,” he replied in a calm, collected tone.
He ended the call and turned his gaze to the city skyline. His mother’s words echoed in his mind: “Cael, it’s not just business, it’s people.”
He pushed the thought aside and stood, adjusting the fit of his tailored suit. He wondered why he seemed to act out of character. This is meant to be nothing more than a transaction.
He didn’t dwell on why he had chosen surrogacy over conventional relationships. Emotions complicated things, and he didn’t need unnecessary distractions.
He got out of his office and walked toward the boardroom with purpose, but the thoughts of Anaïs Iluak lingered in the back of his mind. He didn’t have time for distractions. Surrogacy was practical, a clean solution to a complex problem. It was a simple path to securing his legacy without the complications of emotional investment. After all, he had witnessed how love could unravel even the most carefully constructed empires so it bothered him as to why he suddenly has become interested in knowing more about her.
A curiosity he couldn't simply shake off.
His father’s voice crept into his mind again: "The only thing that matters is the family name. Your feelings are a liability."
Cael shook his head, dismissing the thought. He entered the boardroom where the usual buzz of Moriane executives filled the air. The meeting began. The discussion was about forecasts, numbers, growth, the usual. Cael listened with icy precision, his questions sharp and deliberate. His colleagues fumbled to match his intellect, but Cael felt no satisfaction. Power was all that mattered.
Devries, his chief strategist, ventured cautiously, "There’s also the matter of selecting ambassadors for our European expansion. We’ll need your approval."
Cael’s gaze was unwavering. "Choose someone trustworthy. Integrity over celebrity appeal."
"Yes, sir."
The meeting concluded with murmurs of relief as the executives filed out. Alone in the room, Cael drummed his fingers on the polished table. He had everything: wealth, influence, and control. But with every decision, there was a gnawing emptiness that lingered. What was it all for?
Shortly after the meeting, In a private executive lounge, Cael sipped scotch, the amber liquid gleaming under the low lights. This was his refuge, a place to escape the relentless demands of the empire he ruled.
His phone buzzed on the table. Another email from his assistant.
Iluak, Anaïs.
He tapped her profile again, studying it more closely. A photograph accompanied the synopsis, of a young woman with striking features and determined eyes.
Leaning back, he hovered his thumb over her name. Sympathy or admiration didn’t stir in him, those emotions had long been exiled from his life. Instead, there was curiosity. How far would someone like her go to survive?
The creak of the lounge door interrupted his thoughts. His sister, Celeste, entered, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
“Drinking alone again, big brother?” she teased.
“What do you want, Celeste?” he asked without looking up.
Pouring herself a glass of wine, she settled into the seat opposite him. “Relax, I’m just checking in. Mom says you’re ignoring her calls again.”
“I’m not ignoring her,” he replied curtly. “I’m prioritizing.”
Celeste smirked. “Of course. Prioritizing is what you do best.”
Her eyes drifted to his phone. “What’s got you so engrossed?”
“Business,” he said, locking the screen and setting the device aside.
Her tone softened. “Business is all you ever think about. You can’t keep shutting the world out, Cael. Eventually, it’ll catch up to you.”
He drained his glass and stood. “I run the world, Celeste. Everything else is a distraction.”
She watched him leave, her expression a mix of concern and frustration.
On the rooftop terrace of Moraine Tower, the city stretched out before Cael in a riot of purples and gold under the night sky. The crisp air carried the faint hum of traffic far below.
He stood alone in the cool night air, gazing out at the glittering city, a realm he commanded but had yet to truly enjoy.
Control and order defined his life, yet tonight his thoughts were uncharacteristically scattered.
The surrogacy arrangement and Anaïs occupied his mind. His decision to pursue this unconventional path wasn’t driven by sentiment; it was a necessity.
No messy relationships. No complications. The child would inherit the empire and carry his name, ensuring the legacy his father had built endured. That was all he wanted.
Still, a vague unease gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.
“Moriane, are you second-guessing yourself?” he muttered a rare note of humor in his voice.
Anaïs Iluak
His curiosity about this unknown damsel seemed to grow by the hour.
For a brief moment, he wondered about her story, the sound of her voice. But he shook the thought away.
“Get a hold of yourself Cael”! , he said to himself.
Stories didn’t matter. Outcomes did.
He would meet her again that night, though he had no idea how intertwined their fates had become.
The room was silent. The hum of the machines had finally ceased now that Anaïs had been taken for observation. Later that morning, Anaïs was officially discharged. Though she felt physically weak, deep down, a torrent of questions and what-ifs gnawed at her. Alara’s revelations had been a hard one to take. Cael arrived just in time as the nurses rolled her out of the hospital in a wheelchair.He took one look at her and said nothing—just bent down, gathered her gently into his warm steady arms, and carried her.She didn’t protest. She never wanted to.The ride back to the penthouse was quiet. Anaïs leaned in against him, her head resting on his shoulder. She always felt safe in his presence. Cael didn't protest either. He seemed to be calculating his next decision.When they arrived, Cael carried her up the stairs despite her weak protests. She felt she was strong enough to walk up the stairs but Cael wouldn't bulge. His grip was secure, his brow furrowed in a manner that showed his
The air in the room was charged with tension as reporters and media representatives crowded into the briefing room, their cameras flashing and microphones thrust forward, all eager to catch every word. In front of the room stood the Police Chief Reynord, his expression was grim as he took his position at the podium.Clearing his throat, he began, his voice firm and controlled.“This morning, we concluded the preliminary investigation into the kidnap of Ms Anaïs Iluak. Ms. Agnes, a model, was found to be the primary suspect in the recent kidnapping of Miss Anaïs. Unfortunately, Ms Agnes has been confirmed dead in the early hours of the day.Gasps rippled through the crowd.He paused to let the noise die down.The evidence confirms that she was fatally shot during the rescue operation. However, we believe that she was not working alone.” he continued.The murmurs in the crowd grew even further.“We have strong reasons to suspect that she had accomplices,” Chief Reynord continued, glanc
The chilly usual sterile scent filled the hospital room. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound that punctuated the heavy silence. The walls were an uninspiring shade of pale blue. A beautiful lily flower had been placed on the bedside table. The only thing that seemed to emit sweetness and life within the cold hospital walls.Anaïs stirred, her body weighed down by weakness, fatigue, and pain. A dull ache radiated from her side, and her head throbbed as if she had been submerged in a fog. Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly adjusted to the bright lighting in the room.For a brief moment, she couldn’t remember what had happened but then the memories came slowly—flashes of a blade slicing through the air, the deafening crack of gunfire, Agnes falling head first, headbutting her unconscious.She noticed two figures standing by the window in hushed conversation.Cael Moraine. Dr. Derek.They hadn’t noticed her yet. Cael stood with his hands buried deep in his pock
Anaïs' disappearance had quickly erupted into a crisis behind the scenes. Though the public had not yet caught wind of it, the absence of a rising star like her had already started setting off alarms.Elen Clark, the renowned designer, had contacted the agency, his voice sharp with irritation.He had waited for Anaïs's arrival for longer than he intended.“Where is Ms Anaïs? She was supposed to be here an hour ago,” he asked as he got on a call with Mr Henry.Mr Henry had been surprised that Anaïs hadn't met with Elen Clark yet, but just then, his phone had buzzed again. It was Lucy.“Hello Lucy, why haven't ….” “Ms. Anaïs has been kidnapped,” Lucy started abruptly, cutting him off.The rest of his words found no voice as the reality of Lucy's words settled. Henry had wasted no time. He frantically made the necessary calls, his hands trembling as he reached out to every contact he had, every contact necessary. He had been rattled by the news but nothing rattled him more than the ca
Alex stirred, shaking his head as he tried to orient himself. “They are getting away”, he could hear Lucy screaming.The attack had been swift. He had tried to lung at the men dragging Anaïs but another figure intersected him. Knocking him hard but Alex didn't become Cael's employee only for his driving skills. He had reacted swiftly, his feet agile and his steps practiced. He had exchanged blows with the man and soon knocked him unconscious but there was not enough time to stop the van from zooming off. He stood up, dust and blood mingling on his bruised face. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone, his fingers shaking as he dialed Cael’s number.“There’s been an incident. Ms Anaïs has been abducted,” he hissed.There was a tense silence at the other end of the phone. “Any leads?” Cael asked finally, his voice deeper than usual.“I was able to hold down one of their men,” Alex said, placing his boots on the head of the unconscious man. “I also got a clear read on the plate nu
It had just been over a week since M&G released their status quo-breaking design—a design flawlessly adorned and paraded by Anaïs. The success of the design had ultimately catapulted Anaïs into the global spotlight. Anaïs' fan base had grown rapidly in the past month but this new shoot was exactly what no one was expecting. Anaïs, a newcomer already gracing the global stage. It was unheard of. Fans and critics alike devoured every Anaïs story in the media. Anaïs Iluak was no longer just a rising star; she was the embodiment of success with just a few gigs under her belt, a model whose unprecedented rise defied all expectations.Early in the morning, just before the first light of the day, Anaïs was abruptly woken by the soft yet insistent knock of her midwife, Alara.Anaïs stirred, feeling too tired to get up. Still feeling under the weather she blinked sleepily as the midwife approached the bed corner. The pregnancy had started taking its toll. Thankfully, she had nothing much plan