LOGIN“I’ve decided to leave this city after graduation, sir,” Hazel answered honestly, causing Damian’s brow to furrow deeply.Damian was just about to respond when the executive elevator doors slid open. Isaac leaned closer and quietly reminded him that the next board meeting was already waiting for him.In the end, all Damian could do was offer Hazel a polite nod in farewell.“Are you sure you never interacted with him during your internship?” Giselle pressed the moment the elevator doors closed and carried them downstairs.“For God’s sake, G! I never even spoke to him. Why would I lie to you?” Hazel protested with a soft laugh.Giselle tilted her head, eyeing her friend suspiciously. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, Hazel. But you’re the type of person who’s forgetful and practically oblivious to everything around you. I mean, you’re not easily distracted by what’s happening in your surroundings. It’s entirely possible that while everyone else was going crazy over Damian Montoya walk
“That’s your conclusion, sir,” Isaac replied calmly, prompting Damian to regard him with a sharp, narrowed gaze. “Mrs. Luciana may not know Miss Hazel Donovan’s true identity, just as we lost track of Miss Hazel Sinclair all those years ago. However, she did indirectly orchestrate the circumstances that ultimately drove Miss Donovan to take this path.“Miss Donovan needed money, and she had been forced out of her home. In the end, the only option left to her was to accept an offer that was guaranteed and right in front of her: becoming a surrogate.”Damian fell silent, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of everything. His grandmother was certainly capable of taking drastic measures when she wanted something, but he had never imagined the old woman would go so far as to manipulate someone’s fate and entire life.“The apple never falls far from the tree,” Isaac murmured, as though he could read the turmoil in his employer’s mind.“What do you mean by that?” Damian asked coldly.“
Isaac placed a thick brown folder in front of Damian, then stood upright with his usual polite, professional demeanor.“The report you requested, sir,” Isaac said in his formal work mode. “For now, we’ve only managed to obtain information about Miss Hazel Donovan’s life over the past three years—or, more precisely, since she officially applied to change her name.”Damian glanced at the brown folder, his gaze sharp. He felt a powerful urge to open it, yet something deep inside him was reluctant, almost afraid, to confront the bitter truth contained in its pages.Seeing that Damian still hadn’t touched the documents, Isaac finally spoke.“After being dismissed from Montoya Capital under disgraceful circumstances, Miss Hazel Sinclair applied for positions at more than a dozen companies.”Isaac proceeded to list several well-known corporations, along with a number of mid-sized companies Hazel had approached.Three years of work experience at Montoya Capital, including her internship, shou
“Consider it a trial run. I just wanted to see whether our bodies still respond to each other,” Damian said with a provocative, mocking smile.Hazel glared at him for several seconds. Summoning what little dignity she had left, she turned her face away and straightened her slightly rumpled dress.“If you do that again before we sign the contract and establish an official medical schedule, I will consider this agreement unilaterally terminated,” Hazel cut in icily.Without waiting for his response, she flung open the study door and slammed it shut so hard that the sound echoed throughout the corridor.From a corner of the hallway not far away, Luciana broke into a wide grin.“Something hot must have just happened in there,” she whispered to Mischa.The two women hadn’t had time to move far when the study door suddenly closed again a few minutes earlier. Fortunately, they were concealed behind a large pillar, sparing Hazel the embarrassment of running into them immediately after leaving
“Don’t bother denying it. I’ve already had a DNA test done, and he is indeed my biological son,” Damian cut in quickly before Hazel could object.“I have no intention of denying or concealing that fact,” Hazel replied calmly. She certainly hadn’t expected Damian to go so far in search of the truth, but she had anticipated this possibility.“He is your biological son, but you have never been part of his life. And that will remain the case in the future.” Hazel firmly closed off every loophole the man might try to exploit.“So, there’s no need to threaten me with a custody lawsuit. I’m confident the court would rule in my favor as his biological mother rather than yours,” Hazel challenged with unwavering resolve.Yet beneath her steady gaze, her heart trembled violently at the thought of Damian using his power and wealth to take Adrian away from her.Damian was taken aback. He knew Hazel was intelligent, but he hadn’t expected her to turn the tables so calmly and strategically.“Fine...
Hazel fell silent. The truth is, Adrian’s father and the father of the child I’m going to carry are the same man.But those words remained trapped inside her mind. Hazel had no intention of telling Cassandra that Adrian’s biological father was Damian Montoya. The strict conditions she planned to impose would serve as a barrier, ensuring that Damian would never again touch them or interfere in their lives.“No. And Adrian doesn’t need to know that child ever existed. Once my contract with Mrs. Lancaster is fulfilled, we’ll go as far away from here as possible. Maybe overseas... somewhere we’ll never cross paths with them again,” Hazel said, forcing a resolute smile onto her face.The laboratory results arrived a few days later, and a single red line confirmed the bitter truth: negative. Hazel’s first IVF procedure had failed completely.The news struck Hazel like a block of ice. It meant she would have to face the worst possible outcome under the contract she had signed with Luciana—co







