Neither says anything until they reach the parking lot of a tall building down the same street.
“This is my house,” he informs as they get off. “Well, one of these floors is mine.”Ayden walks away from her without invading her personal space, and she out of fear of him doesn't approach either.They enter the private elevator and arrive at Ayden's pent house.“Come in, sit down, and I'll get you some water,” he says without looking at her. “You've had enough to drink.”The fact that she threw those two drinks in his face is not lost on him. She makes a mental note that he doesn't like her drinking.“I thought you wanted me to bugger off,” she mutters in a thread of a voice, Arya, as he sets the glass of water in front of her and sits down on the far armchair.“I wanted to, but Daniel has told me that these proceedings can take months” she clarifies as if that bothers him. “I'll be honest with you, I need a child, but without my father knowing it's by surrogate. He needs to know it's mine, regardless of what and to top it off, he needs to believe that you and I are in a relationship” he says out loud making Arya feel butterflies in her stomach. “Fake of course. You don't have to come near me, or hug me, or kiss me, or anything like that. I don't tolerate contact, do you understand?”Arya processes all that information and sums it up in her head.“I understand, give him a son, be his lying girlfriend and never touch him,” she resolves for both of them, making him nod proud that he has understood. “I only have two questions, if you are the sperm donor, who will put the egg in? And the second, how much are you willing to offer?”“I thought Daniel explained to you that you would also be the egg donor… as I said. I don't tolerate physical contact with anyone, that doesn't make me a viable candidate with women, so the deal will be that in addition to the surrogate pregnancy, I will also be a donor The figure? I'll pay whatever I want.”The young woman is stunned by that. It's one thing to feel no bond, but donating eggs for the process means getting involved."I need to think about it," she clarifies. "I didn't think I'd have to be a mother so young, even if it means giving up our child completely. As for the amount, I appreciate you saying whatever you want, but this is a business. I'd like to think about it and also know a little more about the terms."The way she says it, she makes it more than clear to him that this is difficult for her."Don't thank me, this is business, you want something from me, I want something from you," Ayden replies coldly, making Arya again raise her walls."You are right, this is business, and as such we must negotiate," she says, taking that serious attitude she tries to have. "How would this work? I live in Boston.""I need you to move here, you'll have your room here, you can bring your mother if you want, I only come here to sleep," he warns downplaying the importance."Impossible, my mother can't know what I'll do, she's religious, she wouldn't forgive me" he clarifies. "Besides, I'm a senior in college, I was supposed to move to Germany on an exchange trip."Ayden stands a bit frustrated with the situation, but thinks of a plan."Okay, he comes here, and I help him get settled in one of the best hospitals in town" he assures thinking of his younger brother. "I will take care of all the expenses, I will give him a monthly pension… his mother's and well, money is not a problem for me. I just want to know if he's going to meet my four conditions.""I thought it was three" she deduces mentally reviewing the conversation."He will either give me a child, donate his eggs or well, I will buy them, just name your price" he resolves making her feel nothing to him. "You will pretend to be my partner living here, you will not touch me, and you will disappear from our lives, once my child is born, understood?"Arya thinks about those words as if they were daggers piercing her heart."Can I think about it?""Not much, I don't have time to waste" she reminds them both and stands up, opening the door for her to leave.The young woman grabs her bag and walks to the door, it is more than clear that she is no longer a guest at the site."Thank you, I'll let her know, I have a lot to think about" she says stepping into the private elevator."Don't think too much, Miss Harley, it's just business." He holds out a card with his private number on it. "Let me know your answer, I'll be waiting."With that said, the elevator closes and the last thing she sees is the cold stare of Ayden Emory.☆゚・*:.˛˚ღღ゚~εïз~ ღღ゚・*:。.・*.・*.☆The drive home had been sad, she would not only have to be a surrogate, but also a donor. Somehow that made her feel bad."If only there was a way to not have to do it" she thinks as she enters the hospital to take care of her mother for the rest of the afternoon.The sound of machines wakes Arya up the next day, her mother is having a crisis again. So she is rushed into surgery."Miss Harley, if you don't have the money to pay in full, you can talk to our finance department about setting up a fixed payment contract," explains the daytime assistant. "For the time being, you should rest assured that your mom is out of danger and has to stay at least a week in the hospital."The woman with dark hair and wide glasses explains to him in detail and clarity everything that has happened to his mother. An open-heart surgery, a coronary bypass and several blood transfusions are some of the things they did to her.Arya feels palpitations blurring her vision, she feels like she is fading, she hasn't eaten properly in days and hasn't tasted food since a day before, and it was instant soup, zero nutritious."Wait" she asks the assistant and leaves the clinic to make that call she was so hesitant to make.“My mother is severe in the hospital. If I do this, promise me that you will take care of all her expenses and that I will have everything just and necessary during the pregnancy and until she has her child. That's all I ask” she says as soon as Ayden picks up the call on her cell phone.Ayden, who notices the genuine concern in the young woman, feels a little sorry for her."Done, I'll take care of all those expenses" he states confidently, causing her to relax her body.Arya feels like buying it, but the cost is worth it. Her mother will be fine."Understood, in return, you take care of my mother and her medical expenses and me during the pregnancy" she sums up, so he doesn't say he didn't say anything."And her college and residency…""Okay, of that" he says, downplaying it.The only thing that matters to her is that her mother is healthy and well. It's the only thing that's really worth it to her, no matter the cost."Then it's a deal" Ayden declares over the cell phone."Deal" she replies with relief in her heart."I went from being a student to a mother of a son for the CEO" she thinks before fading away.For her part, Ayden, under pressure from her father, wants to put her plan into action as soon as possible. He needs to keep up that facade of a relationship with young Arya and get to have a child.It was not something he would have wanted, but it was something he needed if he were to succeed in keeping the family business.He remembered his childhood, he didn't want anyone to go through what he went through. He was afraid to bring a child into the world, regardless of what form this would take.His musings were interrupted by a call from his brother."Hello" greets his brother scathingly."What do you want?" replies Ayden curtly, knowing full well that his brother is a fucker."Hello to you too, little brother. I'm so glad you called me, I miss you" he says in a fake voice and sarcastic tone.Ayden feels his blood boil just hearing it. They have never gotten along, all thanks to her mother."You don't stop being stupid" he says viciously. "What do you want, robbed again?"Ayden reminds him of that time when supposedly his account had been emptied, but in reality he had spent all his money on god knows what. Her father had to ask her to take money out of the family trust to pay him back some of what was supposedly stolen.“I'm just speaking to tell you that my father has also made the same proposal to me as he has to you” he warns warily in an attempt to provoke his brother. “And I want to inform you that you're going to lose, I'll keep the company while you watch everything crumble before your eyes.”"You're a fucker, Mark!" he yells into the cell phone. Over my dead body, I'll let you ruin what my family has built."Our… our family!" he scolds.Ayden hangs up the call before he says something he might regret. There are secrets he must keep for the sake of his father, himself and his despicable brother. The only thing he must take care of is that no one ever finds out and that Arya never asks.Ayden had spoken to her lawyer about going through the whole surrogacy process. Never in her life had she imagined that she would have to do something like this to get the family business. The only thing she was missing and not proud of was having to explain to her father.“Good morning, father,” he greeted as he entered his office.Gerard Emory, was already waiting, sitting in front of his desk with a cigar in his mouth and a cup of coffee in his hand.“What's good? Can't you see the fucking weather?” He points to the gray sky from his office. I didn't expect it to be sunny, but at least it wasn't cloudy.“Have you been watching the weather again?” asks Ayden, sitting down across from him.“What I see or don't see is of no importance to you, you know what does matter?”Ayden would like to roll his eyes at his father's comment and question, but he holds back. Doing something like that would mean a reprimand. Gerard was very strict with his children and whoever else.“May the Yankees wi
Arya went over Ayden's rules, underlining the ones that seemed excessive and making notes on some of them. She knew there were things she had to abide by, like not eating raw seafood, or sushi. She loved sushi, and it was something she would miss.Likewise, she spares no thought to leave the room, this one has its bathroom, so she showers before going to sleep. A message on her phone comes in just as she gets ready to lie down.Ayden_ 11:23 p.m.Are you awake?The young woman rolls her eyes and with a towel on her head and the same clothes she was wearing leaves the room searching for the millionaire.“Here I am,” she warns aloud as she steps out into the hallway.The whole house lies in darkness except for a faint light coming from one room. The door to this one opens and out steps Ayden in sweatpants, shirtless and barefoot.Arya has to make sure to keep her mouth shut when she notices how beautiful his body is. Well-worked biceps and belly are some of the things she notices. She fee
“This is the worst dinner I've ever been to” were the words Ayden said as soon as he left his father's house. Arya feels that this has been because of her, and even as she gets into the car, she feels her heart getting smaller and smaller. “Everything all right,” Ayden asks as he enters her apartment. The young woman looks at him distressed, but says no more. She just stares at his perfect face, carved by the gods of Olympus. He's so fucking handsome; it makes her scorn hurt all the more. “Yes, goodnight,” she finally says goodnight and advances to her room. “Wait, I know there's something wrong with you, you've been dodgy and looking like a dying animal.” the Adonis throws in her face. Arya takes a breath as her mind and mood are not connected to her strength. “Nothing, I'm just tired,” she replies and tries to leave again. “I told you to wait,” Ayden growls with a distinctly annoyed tone in his voice. “For what!!! I don't understand what you have against me. I will be the mo
Arya wonders how Ayden will see to it that her brother does not find her. Two days had passed since that first call, and she doesn't know how to talk to her benefactor without upsetting him. He has been “resting”, eating and walking around the house like a stray cat. In the afternoons, she goes for a short walk to Central Park and returns just before he gets back. The doctor asked that they return on the third day when his period started and they did. During the visit, the doctor asked Ayden for a sample of his semen. The latter almost choked when she told him that there were graphic magazines or a television with access to adult videos in the room. Arya blushed just thinking that on the other side of that room, Ayden would be masturbating. “You have nothing to worry about, that cubicle is soundproof and will have everything you need if necessary,” the doctor explained, opening the door for him to pass through. Ayden looks quickly from there to Arya, who, awakening her curiosity,
Since that day, they had not heard from Mark or Gerard's order. On the one hand, Arya wanted peace and quiet, she had tried to keep the party peaceful with Ayden. He had decided to have breakfast with her, after each hormone injection.He had to make sure she was healthy, the day of the insemination had come and they were both nervous. Likewise, he had had to re-sample to make sure the most feasible sperm were selected.“Everything will be fine, you have nothing to worry about,” assures the doctor, who has Arya already on the gurney with her legs spread wide open. “You will feel only slight discomfort, but it will pass.”Arya nods, she is nervous, her hands are shaking, and she mentally prays to heaven that everything will be all right. She hadn't talked to Ayden about what would happen in case she couldn't get pregnant, would she have to pay back all the money or just a part of it? After all, her mother was out of danger.She had managed to get through to her and although Mirella woul
But it is too late, Ayden has admired what to him is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.“Sorry, sorry” he turns around realizing his imprudence. “I, I was just trying to tell you that I'll go to the pharmacy, I'll wait for you there.”Arya picks up the robe that only covered her front and hides behind the bulkhead.“Okay” she replies flushed with embarrassment.Ayden comes out equally, if not more, embarrassed by such a reckless interruption on her part.“If you'll be an idiot, Ayden” he mutters to himself as he walks to the pharmacy to change the medications.Arya staying feels a pang of emotion, he has seen her naked and blushed.“Perhaps, he finds me attractive after all” he thinks as he dresses.“Don't be silly, he's a millionaire from Central Park, he would never notice you” she whispers to nothing.Once they leave they head straight home, Ayden has had a special caterer prepared to celebrate.“Wow! This is wonderful” she says as she sees the dining room table with differe
“What's wrong?” asks Ayden worriedly.“Nothing, nothing, everything is fine.” He looks at his new pulse watch and notices the time. “We can go now, I'm a little tired.”“It's okay Arya, but if there was something that made you angry, just say so,” he warns. “I'm not a fortune-teller, and if you don't tell me what upset you, I won't be able to help you at all.”Arya, reluctant to speak, decides to keep quiet, for her own and the family's sake.Ayden drives carefully until they reach his house, once there each one retires to their rooms without saying a word to each other. He suspects that something happened, but does not demand more because today has been a very heavy day, and they are both tired. The young woman, for her part, decides to prepare everything to go to work the next day, she is excited to be able to do her internship in one of the best hospitals in New York.“Who knew that after all the bad, at least something good happened,” Arya reasons in the darkness of her room.The n
Arya walks to where the parking lot is supposed to be, annoyed.“I came with one of my drivers,” she explains, pointing to an SUV. “And I don't have to walk around controlling anything, you're the one who should be on the phone, not me.”Ayden walks to his sling and opens the door, waiting for Arya to retrace her steps to leave. However, a car parks right in front of the slingshot and the driver opens the door for him.“Can I give you a ride?” asks Mark.Arya walks quickly to him and climbs in, closing the door quickly.Mark locks the door and starts the car immediately.“I saw you argued,” warns Ayden's brother. “That's why I came over, I thought you needed help.”“Thanks, it's really not an argument.” The ringing of her phone starts to ring. “He's just upset because I didn't answer all day, he should get used to it, since I have to do the internship.”Mark lets out a loud laugh at his only brother's expense, Arya doesn't like that, a shiver runs down her spine as she hears him enjoy