CHAPTER 2 THE SELECTION

CHAPTER 2

THE SELECTION

Catherine sat at the head of a private conference room on the eighty-fifth floor, reviewing one candidate after another. Across from her sat an impressive parade of women, each possessing the qualities most people would consider exceptional.

They were beautiful.

They were intelligent.

They were accomplished.

Some came from diplomatic families. Others were young physicians, graduates of Ivy League universities whose resumes stretched for pages.

Every candidate had been screened according to Aron's exact specifications.

Not too young.

Not excessively ambitious.

Not the sort of woman who sought attention wherever she went.

Yet the longer the process continued, the more discouraged Catherine became.

None of them felt right.

Not a single one.

She was studying the file of another candidate when the private elevator chimed softly.

The room fell silent.

A woman stepped out with the kind of effortless grace that drew attention without demanding it.

Gabriela Loghan.

Her dark hair was swept into an elegant knot at the nape of her neck. Sharp gray eyes surveyed the room with quiet authority. Though she was approaching sixty, age seemed reluctant to leave its mark upon her. Wrapped in a cream-colored coat and a silk scarf, she carried herself with the confidence of a woman who had spent her life being welcomed wherever she went.

Unlike everyone else, Gabriela Loghan never needed an appointment to see Aron.

"Catherine?"

Catherine rose immediately.

"Mrs. Loghan. What a pleasant surprise."

Gabriela smiled.

"I was passing through Madison Avenue and realized I've never properly seen Aron's new headquarters. I thought I'd stop by."

"Mr. Loghan is attending an off-site meeting," Catherine explained, glancing briefly at her watch. "He should be back in about thirty minutes."

"Then I'll wait."

Gabriela's gaze drifted around the room.

Nearly twenty young women sat in orderly rows, waiting for their interviews.

One elegant eyebrow lifted.

"This doesn't look like a normal recruitment session. Are you hiring new employees?"

For a moment, Catherine hesitated.

Lying to Gabriela Loghan was nearly impossible.

The older woman missed very little.

"In a manner of speaking," Catherine replied carefully. "This is a special request from Mr. Loghan."

Gabriela's curiosity sharpened.

"What kind of request?"

Again Catherine hesitated.

Then she decided honesty was the safer path.

"Mr. Loghan has asked me to find a woman willing to become the surrogate mother of his child."

Silence settled over the room.

Gabriela's expression remained composed, but something in her posture stiffened.

"A surrogate mother?" she repeated softly.

Catherine nodded.

"There would be no marriage. Only a contract. The primary condition is that the woman agrees to carry his child and surrender all parental rights afterward."

For several seconds, Gabriela said nothing.

Her eyes moved toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan.

The city stretched endlessly beyond the glass.

Without another word, she turned around and walked back toward the elevator.

She left before Aron returned.

She never looked back.

Less than an hour later, a navy-blue vintage car rolled to a stop in front of an old Victorian residence on the Upper East Side.

Gabriela entered the house without removing her coat.

She found her husband in the library.

Jeremy Loghan sat in his favorite armchair with a cup of coffee balanced beside him and a book resting comfortably in his hands.

Without looking up, he spoke.

"What happened? You look as though you're preparing to sue the entire world."

Gabriela closed the library door behind her.

The movement was gentle.

The intention was not.

"Jeremy, our son intends to have a child through a surrogate."

Her voice trembled with restrained disbelief.

"No marriage. No family. Just IVF and a legal contract."

Jeremy lowered his reading glasses slightly.

His expression remained unchanged.

"I see."

Gabriela stared at him.

"I see? That's all you have to say?"

"What else should I say?" Jeremy asked calmly. "He's a grown man."

"No, Jeremy. This is not simply a personal decision."

She began pacing across the room.

"Aron has never shown interest in any woman. He never talks about relationships, love, or marriage. And now he's decided to rent a stranger's womb for the sake of producing an heir?"

Jeremy took another sip of coffee.

"At least he's not marrying a reality television star."

"Jeremy, I'm serious."

"So am I."

She stopped walking.

A troubling thought had clearly taken root.

"What if our son isn't interested in women at all?"

Jeremy sighed.

"That seems highly unlikely."

"Aron is thirty-eight years old."

"He is busy."

"He is emotionally frozen."

"He is successful."

"He is isolated."

Jeremy lowered his cup.

"And your solution?"

Gabriela's eyes narrowed with determination.

"He needs to come back to Yorkshire."

A laugh escaped Jeremy.

"You know he hates Yorkshire."

"He doesn't hate Yorkshire."

"He complains every time he visits."

"He complains about everything."

Jeremy smiled.

"The sound of birds outside the house makes him want to return to Manhattan."

Gabriela ignored him.

"I'm not asking him to stay permanently. Just long enough to spend time with family."

"He'd rather vacation in Monaco."

"He needs a home," Gabriela said firmly. "He needs to see what a real family looks like."

Jeremy considered that for a moment.

"How exactly do you plan to convince him?"

Gabriela released a slow breath.

Then she answered with complete seriousness.

"I'll pretend to be ill."

Jeremy stared at her.

"That's manipulative."

"Yes."

"And dishonest."

"Also yes."

"And you're still going to do it."

"I'm his mother. If he thinks something is wrong with me, he'll come."

Jeremy shook his head and returned to his book.

"I wish you luck."

Gabriela rolled her eyes.

"You're not going to help at all?"

"I retired from interfering in Aron's life the day he took control of my company without blinking."

He turned a page.

"He's a grown man, Gabriela. Sometimes the only thing capable of changing a man is being confronted by something he cannot control."

A slow smile appeared on Gabriela's face.

The expression was warm.

It was also undeniably dangerous.

"Exactly."

Jeremy looked up.

She was already plotting.

"I think I like his secretary," Gabriela said thoughtfully. "That beautiful girl would suit my son perfectly."