Da-Ha 2

“For God’s sake, Mom, Grandma. I’m perfectly healthy. I don’t have any issues with my sexual orientation, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my equipment.”

“Then what is it?” Natalia demanded. “I’ve tried introducing you to several of my friends’ daughters, but you always find an excuse to turn them down. Even when you agree to meet them, you make an entire list of everything you don’t like about them. What kind of woman do you actually want as your wife?”

“None.”

Damian answered flatly and looked away.

Talking about women always brought one particular woman from his past to mind—the woman who had betrayed him and destroyed every dream he had once built for their future.

“That woman? You said she was perfect.”

“She’s dead.” Damian repeated the words coldly. “I don’t even know where her remains were buried.”

And if that woman ever shows her face in front of me again, I’ll bury her myself.

“Then what about Leah?”

Natalia brought up the name of one of her friends’ daughters.

I’d rather die than be with her. Just hearing the name Sinclair makes my stomach turn.

But Damian would never say that to his mother.

He didn’t want Natalia to know that the woman he had once adored—the woman he had promised marriage and a lifetime of happiness—was none other than Leah Sinclair’s stepsister, Hazel Sinclair.

“Did someone call my name?”

The very woman they had been talking about appeared in the room.

As always, Leah looked as though she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Her hair was perfectly styled, her perfume was so overpowering it seemed as though she had emptied an entire bottle onto herself, and she wore the latest designer clothes.

And, of course, her nails were always decorated with expensive nail art.

“Leah, you’re here!”

Natalia immediately abandoned Damian and greeted Leah enthusiastically.

Damian glanced at his grandmother, who suddenly turned her face away.

At least he wasn't the only one who disapproved of Natalia’s plan to match him with Leah.

His grandmother clearly felt the same way.

“I have to get back to the office. And the two of you—stop causing trouble.”

Damian addressed his mother and grandmother before leaving.

He completely ignored Leah as she tried to greet him and reach for his arm.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

Leah looked at Natalia curiously after Damian disappeared from sight.

“Nothing’s wrong. He’s just irritated. You know how Damian is.” Natalia tried to reassure her. “Come, sit down.”

“Grandma, how are you?”

Leah smiled at Luciana, but as usual, the older woman immediately looked away as though Leah were some kind of germ she needed to avoid.

“I’m tired. Call me when dinner is ready.”

Luciana rose from her seat, took hold of her cane, and instructed her private nurse to escort her back to her room.

“Just ignore her.” Natalia tried to comfort Leah.

Natalia knew that Leah had spent the past three years trying to win both Luciana’s and Damian’s affection. Yet grandmother and grandson seemed to have formed an unspoken alliance to ignore Leah and her mother, Madeline.

Natalia had never understood why.

Still, as long as her mother-in-law didn’t forbid her from maintaining her friendship with Madeline, Natalia was satisfied. After all, Madeline had been her only close friend for years.

“If I heard correctly, you two were talking about some kind of selection process for a surrogate mother. Is that true?”

Leah had actually been standing near the foyer for quite some time, close enough to overhear a good portion of the family’s conversation.

Of course, she would never admit that to Natalia.

“Luciana came up with the idea,” Natalia answered honestly. “You know I’d much rather have Damian marry you than resort to something as absurd as this. That way, if he has a child, the baby will have both parents.”

Leah smiled as though she understood.

But deep down, she was furious at both Damian and Luciana.

For three years, she had chased after Damian, and the man had done nothing but ignore her.

And all because of one name.

Hazel Sinclair.

If only Damian had never fallen in love with that woman. If only that woman had never betrayed him, Damian wouldn’t have become the man he is today.

“Then have you found her yet?” Leah asked casually. “I mean, the surrogate?”

Natalia slowly shook her head.

“We just made the announcement. I don’t even know if anyone has applied yet.”

Leah reached for Natalia’s hand.

“Which hospital is handling it? Auntie, please let me participate.”

She gave Natalia a pleading look before adding in a soft whisper, “And since everything is anonymous, maybe you could make me one of your candidates.”

Natalia fell silent for a moment before nodding enthusiastically.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” she exclaimed happily. “If you manage to pass all of Luciana’s tests, Damian won’t be able to reject you anymore. And if you actually manage to carry his child, we can pressure him into marrying you immediately and throwing the most magnificent wedding the world has ever seen!”

Instead of feeling excited, however, Leah hesitated.

Natalia was the kind of woman who was genuinely sincere, innocent, and somewhat naive. She completely failed to catch the hidden meaning behind Leah’s carefully chosen suggestion.

What Leah actually wanted was for Natalia to simply choose her outright, without forcing her to go through a series of complicated tests.

But apparently, the woman sitting in front of her was completely oblivious.

Dealing with Natalia required an extraordinary amount of patience.

Still, if Leah wanted to secure her position as the next Mrs. Montoya, she knew she had to learn how to manipulate this naive older woman.