CHAPTER 13: YOU'RE GOING TO BEG ME TO TAKE YOU!

ELENA'S POV

Ken?!

My fingers tightened. My whole body went on high alert. After everything he had done to trade my life away, what was he doing here? What did he want from me? Had my father actually sent him as a messenger, or had he breached the mansion on his own?

The questions battered my mind like a storm, but I forced my posture to stay calm. If not for myself, then for Clara. I didn't want her to see the cracks in my composure.

His face lit with a dazzling smile the moment his eyes landed on me. A few days ago, that smile would have melted me instantly. Now it made me sick.

"You're actually here," he murmured, crossing the lobby with his arrogant, practiced stride. He wore a sharp two-piece blue denim set, the top buttons of his shirt casually undone.

Disgust rose in my throat. I remembered the day he had come to me at the farm, demanding that exact designer outfit. When I told him I couldn't afford it, he threatened to end our three-year relationship. Terrified of losing the only man I thought loved me, I sold one of my late mother's heirlooms to buy it. Now, seeing it on his treacherous body, I felt like the biggest fool alive.

"Elena," he began, his voice dropping into the soft, tender rhythm I used to worship. He reached out, stepping into the space between us.

I moved back at once, locking my hands behind me.

Ken's smile didn't falter. He turned his charm on Clara. "Would you mind giving us a moment alone?" he asked, with a cute, disarming smile few people could refuse. "The message I have for her from the Stewart estate is very private."

Clara hesitated, glancing at me, confused and protective. "Miss Elena... are you okay? Should I stay?" she whispered.

"Please wait for me near the main entrance gallery," I said quietly. "I don't want you tangled up in my family matters."

Clara nodded reluctantly and left the lobby. The moment the doors clicked shut, Ken's eyes swept the high-ceilinged room like a night watchman checking for cameras.

"What are you doing here, Ken?" My voice was flat and raw.

He closed the distance in two strides, and his heavy hands gripped my shoulders.

"You've changed, Elena. You're stunning now. Beautiful and..." He slowly ran his tongue along the corner of his lips as his eyes traced my figure, from the velvet of my gown to my toes. "...mouth-watering."

My face twisted. "Get your hands off me and tell me what you want." I wrenched my shoulders and broke his grip. "You told the front desk my father sent you. Deliver the message and get out."

Ken laughed low, running a hand through his hair. "Elena," he said softly, catching my eyes again. Before I could react, he took my hands, his calloused fingers tracing circles over my knuckles. "I know you're angry about what happened in Cleo's room. I know you want to throw those tiny fists at my face. But you won't, because deep down, you still love me."

I didn't let him finish. I twisted my hands free, put my full weight behind my palm, and slapped him across the face.

The crack rang through the lobby. His head snapped to the side. He clutched his left cheek, already burning red with the print of my five fingers, his eyes wide with shock.

"That's so you know I'm done buying your cheap lies," I hissed.

Instead of getting angry, Ken rushed forward and caught my hands again. This time, his eyes held a frighteningly good imitation of the emotions I had begged to see on the day of the betrayal: regret, shame, the terror of losing me.

"Elena, please! Whatever you saw that morning, it was a terrible mistake," he pleaded, his voice cracking on cue. "I never meant to hurt you. It was Cleo's fault. She tricked me. She forced me."

A bitter laugh escaped me. He truly believed I was still the same submissive girl from the farm.

"Cleo forced you?" I asked, my voice eerily calm.

He nodded quickly, thinking he had softened me. "Yes, I swear!"

"Really? Did she force you to hand my daily routine to the Vance recruiters?" I stepped closer, drilling my eyes into his. "Did she make me rot inside that cupboard, hoping my boyfriend was coming to rescue me? Did she make you call me a stupid, disposable idiot? Do you honestly think—"

"My Ele," he cut in smoothly, using the pet name he always deployed when he sensed my temper rising. "That's all in the past. I'm right here. We can erase it and pick up where we stopped. You always wanted us to get married, didn't you? To build a life and bear a son." He breathed that last part into my ear.

I let my expression soften on purpose. I made my eyelids flutter and gave a slow nod, playing a girl slipping back under a spell.

Ken's lips curled into a smug grin. He patted my head as if I were an obedient puppy.

"Then let's continue our future, Ele. But first, we need to focus on how to secure that son before the wedding," he murmured.

"But how is that even possible?" I dropped to a frantic whisper and glanced around as if the walls could hear. "I'm the contracted surrogate for the Vance heir now. Are we... going to run away?"

I needed his true motive. I needed to see how deep his malice went.

"No!" Ken's voice cut through the air, sharp and absolute. "We can't run. Look." He gripped my arm and dragged me toward a recessed service door in the corner. He shoved it open and pulled me into a narrow, dimly lit storage room, out of sight of the corridor.

"I have a plan that benefits us both," he whispered, his eyes darting with every word. "You're the chosen surrogate for a comatose billionaire. There's no need to crawl back to the gutter. We just pretend. You play your part here, and in private, you and I make sure you carry a child."

I kept my voice soft. "And when I'm pregnant? What do I tell the Vances?"

"That it's Ethan's miracle heir." He grinned. "They'll fund everything. And once the boy is born, Ethan doesn't need to wake up. Comatose men die all the time, Ele. Nobody will question it. The whole Vance empire goes to our son, and we're the ones holding it for him."

His eyes lit with greed. "You really are my lucky charm! With a plan like this, we'll be unstoppable."

I smiled back, though something dark burned behind my eyes. I couldn't believe I had spent three years trying to please this man. Three years of sharing a life with him without once seeing what he was.

He thought I was an idiot. I had been. But that girl died the day he showed me his true colours.

"It sounds flawless," I murmured. Then my tone sharpened. "But what if Vance security catches on? Would you stand up and take the blame?"

He was too slow to see the shift. His instincts answered before his cunning side could.

"You'll be the one to pay!"

Ken froze. His hand flew to his mouth, but the words were already in the air. He would use me as a shield and leave me to the Vances the moment things went sour.

I let out a soft, dark chuckle.

"Elena, wait, it was a slip of the tongue..." His hands fluttered in panic.

I waved him off. "Those were exactly the words I needed." I stepped back. "I'll let whatever happened in this room slide. But if I ever see your face, or even the dust from your shoes, inside this estate again, I'll hand your entire plan to the Vance enforcers myself."

He stared at me as if I had landed from another planet. His little submissive girl was gone, and he could see it.

"One more thing." I leaned in close. "I'd rather die a virgin than let vermin like you touch a single inch of my skin. So get out because if the guards find you after I leave, you'll take the fall alone."

I turned for the door, keeping him at the edge of my vision. My hand was on the knob when his laugh stopped me.

"Elena." It came low and cold, the charm gone from it. "I never knew you could be so cold to me. But it doesn't matter how tough you think you've become. My plan happens today."

I spun, but his arm was already around my ribs, pinning my shoulders. A white handkerchief slammed over my nose and mouth, wet with something sweet and sharp. Heat crawled under my skin. My limbs went heavy.

"Now," Ken breathed into my ear, "you're going to beg me to take you."