Chapter 1

Teresa POV 

"Thirty minutes!" I mumbled.

He was still not back and the test was taking longer than I had expected; and as the minutes passed by, I could not but be worried. 

Why was he taking so long?

You see, I was two months pregnant. Not in the typical husband-and-wife way but as a surrogate mother. 

Yes, I had agreed to be a surrogate mother just so I could afford the one million dollar heart surgery of my mother. The previous test had shown the twins to be fine, and in good shape. However, the Doctor had noticed an anomaly with the shape of my protruded stomach—higher than expected —and had suggested some quick tests. 

Still in his office, you could guess how worried I was because a danger to the babies was a danger to me, and the rest of my payment.

Shortly, The door swung open and doctor Green walked in. His grim face forced me to my feet. 

"Something wrong?" I asked.

He pushed down some transparent glasses. "We have a problem!"

A heart made a subtle thud. All I had hoped for was a successful delivery but here I was, about to be told a problem. 

"You were misdiagnosed."

"What do you mean misdiagnosed?" I asked in confusion.

"Your previous test results showed you are carrying a set of twins," he adjusted the glasses while reading from the notes, "but I'm afraid to say that's not true."

"What! How could—"

"Please hear me out," He sighed. "What I'm trying to say is you are carrying a set of triplets, not twins...Congratulations!"

Holy shit!

How was that even possible?

My palm clasped to my mouth as I tried to comprehend the doctor's words. 

Was this real? Sure it was. 

The Surrogate had not turned out to be twins but triplets, which meant there were three lives growing inside of me.

"It's a clear case of incompetence, one I must report to the ministry."

While I processed the new revelation, Dr Green moved to his table and began flipping through some records. Then she reached for his telephone line. 

"Wait! Don't call the ministry," I said, while still shaping the idea in my head.

"What do you mean?"

I bridged the few inches gap and I looked him dead in the eyes. 

The idea was now complete. 

"It was a mistake and I suggest you leave it at that," I explained. 

"I could get my licence revoked if I don't do this," then he began punching some numbers. 

Mind you, I had no knowledge of the client, the owner of the babies. All I was told was that confidentiality was part of the contract and that the client would remain anonymous during the pregnancy period. And a call to the ministry would jeopardise the confidentiality clause. 

But confidentiality was not even my concern because I had longed to have my own baby and the opportunity to have one had just presented itself. Then I resolved that by whatever means necessary, I would have the third baby once it was born. 

I grabbed the telephone, a surprise written over his face.

"How old are you! Fifty five or thereabouts!"  

"Please step away, ma'am?" He warned, a warning that fell on deaf ears.

"All I'm saying is that in the next six years, you will be retired and left to live on pension. We both know that pensions are already a mess in this country."

My words got to him thinking and he knew I was right. After a brief contemplation, he found his seat.

"What do you propose?"

That was enough to seal the deal.

The ride back to the villa took about twenty minutes. Part of the Surrogate contract was that during the pregnancy period, I would live in a well furnished spacious duplex in one of the most expensive estates, a chef to prepare my meals, driver to run my errands, and some extra staff to take care of my needs. And this was all to ensure the well being of the babies. 

"Hope you had a wonderful time with your parents," Suzanne, the lady tasked with overseeing my stay, greeted me when I entered the villa. 

"Sure!" 

Suzanne's conversation, centered on calories and a healthy pregnancy diet, had become a bore and I had no interest in it.  

And she could go to tell because aside from the compensation, I was practically the happiest girl on earth.

While resting on the spacious bed,  a call came in and the caller id did nothing but pissed me off. 

It was my twin sister, the lady who married my fiancé while I lay in the hospital, struggling to stay alive.

The accident had done a lot of damage but I had ever since moved. And Diana's call, I swiped the end button. I was keeping my promise to stay low until I was done with this thing.

The following morning, I awoke to a notification message. The 30 grand transaction to Dr Green was successful. That was more than twice his monthly paycheck, enough to keep his mouth shut. Then I found my way to the breakfast table, where I was greeted with all manner of fruits and vegetables, all for me to stay healthy. I was even more happy that there were three—triplet. And not the twins everyone believed. 

"You should add this to your diet, it sure would be perfect for the twins" Suzanne announced while holding up a certain kind of milk pack, like I hadn't had enough of those already. 

"Is that a recommendation from your boss?" I smirked.

"No! This is just my idea. I went to medical school for a few years so I still remember how these things are." 

I munched the breakfast as Suzanne busied herself stacking the new supplies. But, like the talkative she was, she was always on topic.

"So, how are your parents? Did you get to see them?"

I nodded. Although a lie.

I should say I wasn't entirely free as my movements were restricted to the villa and its surroundings. So, visiting my parents was the only excuse to breathe some air other than the air in the villa. But halfway through the journey, I began to feel a weird pain and that had prompted me to Dr Green, whose clinic was the nearest.

Suzanne resumed stacking the supplies as she figured I was in no mood for talk. But just then, a question came to mind. Something I always wanted to know. 

"Can I at least know his name?"

As expected, Suzanne shot a glare because such conversations were strictly prohibited. I wasn't expected to ask questions, especially those surrounding the client's identity but...

Suzanne carried on her tasks, ignoring like she hadn't heard a damn thing.

"Apologies. I thought since I'm carrying his babies, it's only fair to at least have a name."

Suzanne swung around and on her face was a seriousness I had never seen.

"Let me make this clear for the very last time. You are going to be handsomely rewarded. Five million, which is more than what you could ever dream off. But understand that such a huge amount comes with responsibilities, which does not include personal questions."

"Touche!"

Back in my room, I lay lazily on the huge bed, pondering Suzanne 's words. Sure, the client, whoever he was, had taken necessary steps at concealing his identity and he did a perfect job. But not that perfect because at the corner of the room was a drawer, and in it were some files. 

I was looking for something, perhaps a name that could unravel this mysterious client of mine. And on a purchase file, I saw the name "Tim—"

"What the hell are you doing?"

Someone barked.