Chapter Three: A Contract for an Heir

Eden's POV

The tall, rough looking bodyguard who he called James took me up to a room and left.

I freshened up and sat on the bed recounting the events that had just occurred in my head with utter disbelief. 

From being taken unconscious by Dr. Isaac, to meeting Mr. Wayne and miraculously being picked as his surrogate.

I tossed and turned on the bed restlessly but despite my worries, exhaustion won. 

I drifted into a calm sleep on the very soft bed. 

Knock. Knock. 

Two gentle knocks on the door woke me up the next morning. 

My feet clumsily moved to open the door. 

“Good morning, Ma’am. You will have a meeting by 8 a.m. with Mr and Mrs. Wayne. I'll be here to assist you with all your needs.” A plain looking middle aged maid stood right in front of my door with an unreadable expression.

With only under an hour to go, I rushed through preparing and was provided a dress, courtesy of Mrs. Wayne. 

The walk to the dining room felt longer as I looked through the halls seeing different photos and paintings of Mr. Wayne and his wife.

My heart winced a bit, feeling insecure that I was about to interfere with someone else's marriage. 

“Good morning, Ms. Eden. Please, have a seat.” Mr. Wayne's voice jerked me back to reality. 

This was the first time I had gotten a genuinely good look at him. 

The morning sun perfectly caught his sharp aristocratic jawline and his dark thick obsidian hair. A textbook definition of handsome aristocrat. 

“Good morning, Mr. Wayne.” I locked eyes with him unflinchingly as I sat. His piercing grey eyes stared back. 

“Forgive my wife's lateness. She'll be down in a minute.” His voice was smooth and controlled. “But in the meantime, we can begin the process.” 

James came from behind me and dropped a bunch of documents in front of me. 

“It simply states that you consent to being a surrogate. During the period you're pregnant with my child, you'll have to stay here to be monitored. After my child is born, you'll have no legal rights to him and must leave immediately.” Mr Sylar said without a single stutter. 

I contemplated hard, knowing fully well that my sister's life depended on this deal. 

“I accept. As long as you can save my sister.” I looked at him with resolution.

“Taking care of your sister's treatment is already included. I'm only a scientist so I can't promise to save her. There's also a $5 million payment which you'll receive in installments.”

“No!” I slammed my hand against the desk. Mr. Wayne stared at me unflinchingly. “I don't care about your money. Save my sister. I don't care if you're just a scientist. Promise me, promise me you'll save her.” I said with my eyes becoming teary. 

Mr. Wayne was only silent for about a heartbeat. “I promise. I'll put everything I have into curing your sister.” His eyes flared up in resolve. 

I signed the documents. Feeling slightly unsure, I opened my mouth to ask, “Why… why do you need me as a surrogate when you already have such a lovely wife? I don't want to cause trouble for you or your wife.”

“You're not important enough to cause anything.” Mrs. Wayne walked into the dining room. She wore a breathtaking silk black dress. Her flawless porcelain skin seemed to be in agreement with the sun.

“Know your place. You're here to perform a service, nothing more.” Her voice carried a hint of mockery.

“Welcome, my love.” Mr. Wayne stood up to quickly peck his wife and pull a chair out for her to sit. 

My body went still as I heard those words. I knew I was nothing but a temporary substitute but it still hurt to be reminded. 

Mrs. Wayne smiled, seeing how docile I became. 

“It seems you've already signed the contract so I'll tell you all you need to know. My husband owns 60% of the shares in Wayne Pharmaceuticals. His shares are willed to charity in the case of his untimely death. The only legal way to take it is to appoint an heir.” She paused. “A Wayne heir.” She said with her eyes full of disgust.

“An heir must be named ten years from now and must be no less than eight years old. I'm sure you can now see the gravity of the situation and you can understand that I want nothing to do with you. I only want my heir.” Mr. Wayne's voice was cold and unattached. 

“I also want nothing from you other than my sister's full recovery. After I give you your child, I'll take my sister and leave. Let's get this over with please.” I ended the conversation quickly after hearing enough. 

I couldn't stand the condescending manner in which Mrs. Wayne spoke to me and I had no doubt that I felt nothing for Mr. Wayne. 

Jake, the bartender from the restaurant I waitressed in, was more my type. 

“We've said everything we needed. I'll be taking Ms. Eden to my private genetics laboratory for the insemination. Your sister is being transported there as we speak, those doctors had no clue on how to treat her.”

Hearing those words from Mr. Wayne felt like a small respite. 

As Mr. Wayne and I stood up to leave, Mrs. Wayne stood up as well and reached for Mr. Wayne.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as she planted a deep, passionate kiss on his lips. 

Mr. Wayne responded in kind. His lips moved in sync as he ferociously pulled her closer. 

I just stood there, watching as her arms squeezed in tighter. 

I gripped the chair slightly harder. “We need to go, Mr. Wayne, so you can put your baby inside of me.” My pitch rose higher than I wanted. 

“God, I'm so stupid.” I immediately said to myself. I knew I shouldn't have said that but I couldn't stand being treated like trash by Mrs. Wayne.

Her head turned in full force as she stared at me with bloodshot eyes. “You gutter trash. What gave you the audacity to speak in such a manner?” Her legs moved in quick elegant strides as she appeared right in front of me in an instant. 

Her hand whipped forward as her open palm slammed into my cheek. The stinging heat and force immediately sent me staggering backwards. 

I held my face with an expression of utter disbelief. 

“You are nothing, Eden Petrelli. A college dropout. A waitress who barely makes enough, struggling to help her dying sister. Even after you carry the baby of the great scientist, Sylar Wayne, you will still be nothing. The child will call me mother.” She raised her hand to slap me again. 

I closed my eyes in fear, expecting to be struck even harder. 

“That's enough, Candice.”