The Billionaire’s $500,000 baby

POV: Liora HayesThe clock on the grease-stained wall of the Golden Spoon diner was mocking me. 3:00 AM. The red second hand moved with a loud click that made my head throb. I’d been on my feet for eighteen hours straight. My ankles weren’t just swollen; they felt like they were vibrating with pain. Every time I shifted my weight, my back felt like it was being poked with hot needles.My uniform was a disaster. It was a faded pink polyester mess that fit me all wrong. It smelled like a mix of old fries, industrial-strength floor cleaner, and the cheap floral perfume I used to hide the scent of my poverty. I hated that perfume. It smelled like desperation.This was my third double-shift in a row. My body was screaming at me to sit down, to close my eyes for just five minutes, but I couldn't. I had to do it. Every cent, every nickel left under a plate, every pity-tip from a truck driver was another minute of oxygen for my mother. I calculated the tips in my head constantly. Five dollars

POV: Liora HayesI stared at the man named Xavier again.He looked like he had stepped right out of a luxury car commercial. Everything about him was perfect…perfectly groomed hair, sharp eyes, and a suit that probably cost more than my father’s life insurance payout. He was too clean for this place."A drive?" I repeated. My voice sounded hollow, like it was coming from a different room. I looked down at the red transfer notice. I was still clutching it so hard the edges were turning white. "My mother is being moved to a public ward in fifteen minutes. I don’t have time for a drive. I don’t have time for anything. I’m literally watching the clock kill her."Xavier smiled. It was a professional smile. The kind you practice in a mirror. It didn't reach his eyes at all. "The transfer can be canceled with a single phone call, Miss Hayes. But we shouldn't talk here. It’s too loud. The cafeteria is quiet this time of morning. Let’s start there."He didn't wait for me to say yes. He just tur

POV: Liora Hayes"I need five minutes," I told Xavier. My voice was shaking so hard I could barely get the words out. I felt like I was vibrating. "I just... I need to try one more thing. Please."Xavier didn't look moved. He checked his watch. The platinum face caught the gross fluorescent light of the hospital lobby. It looked like it cost more than a lung. "Five minutes, Liora. But you need to understand something. Every second you spend looking for a miracle is a second closer to your mother being loaded onto that transport van. Once she’s in the van, the paperwork becomes much harder to undo."I didn't answer him. I couldn't. I turned and ran toward the elevators. I didn't believe in miracles. I wasn't that stupid. But I believed in the small, gold-plated object tucked into the secret, zippered pocket of my bag. It was the only thing I hadn't sold. Not when the rent was late, not when the heat was turned off.It was my father’s watch. A 1950s Omega.I remembered him sitting at t

Darian’s POV The silver coin caught the light as it spun. Heads. Tails. Heads. Tails. It was a rhythmic, metal click against my thumb that kept my brain from over-rotating. I was sitting in the dark. The only light in the office came from the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. From up here, the people looked like ants. The cars looked like toys. It was a view that was supposed to make a man feel like a god, but tonight, it just made me feel tired.I took a sip of the scotch. It was old…thirty years older than the girl I was about to buy. It burned in a way that felt honest. Most things in my life weren't honest. My board of directors lied to me. My competitors lied to me. My father… my father was a master of the lie.I looked down at the file on my desk. Liora Hayes.The photo was grainy. She was wearing a pink uniform that looked like it had been washed a thousand times. She looked exhausted and there were dark circles under her eyes that no amount of makeup co

Liora’s PovThe heater in the back of the car was blasting. I could feel the hot air hitting my ankles, but it didn't matter. I was cold from the inside out. My wet uniform was starting to steam slightly, filling the small space with the scent of damp polyester and the grease of the diner.Xavier didn't even look at me. He was focused on his tablet, his thumb scrolling through lines of data. He looked so calm. So clean. I looked at the leather seat beneath me. I was leaving a damp, dark patch where I sat. I felt like a stray dog someone had picked up by mistake."You said service at the hospital," I said. My voice was small, but it cut through the hum of the engine.Xavier didn't look up. "I did.""Are you sure it’s what you explained? About the… surrogacy? You make it sound like a business deal, but I'm not a business. I'm a person."He finally turned his head. His eyes were dark, and his smile didn't reach them. "Liora, everything is a business deal if the price is high enough. And