How far can you go to save the ones you love? Cassie Barn’s father dies leaving behind nothing but a huge debt and a ruthless loan shark. Cassie must find a way to repay her father's debt or risk losing her sister’s life. Going against all fear, she offers herself as a surrogate to billionaire widower Zander Scott. This one time offer was her ticket to freedom but nothing is ever as simple as it looks. Zander Scott only cares about two things; his inheritance and his baby. After losing his beloved wife to cancer, he vows to do everything in his power to create a child in her memory. Their own flesh and blood. His child must be perfect and so he leaves nothing to chance. Who would have thought that a simple, high paying job will send them on a wild journey where Cassie is caught up in the middle of a fierce battle between the Scott brothers ? Zander and Cassie battle enemies within and outside their circle and find themselves wondering if this journey is worth the stress. And just when the tension dies down, somebody falls in love and complicates things. Will they both get what they want from this deal or will they be forced to make different choices? Just how messy can a simple contract get?
View MoreCassie didn't see the slap coming. She felt the force push her backwards and her face twisted in agony as she struggled to keep her balance.
“You do not reply to me with questions bitch!”. The man who had just delivered the hot slap didn't even look like he had just hurt her. He had a satisfied smirk on his face.
“Enough! Bring her to me!” a loud voice commanded from the other side of the room.
Cassie felt strong hands grab her by her shoulders as she screamed in fear.
“I am sorry! Please let me go!” She begged, tears streaming down her face as she tried but failed to resist being dragged to the huge terrifying man in front of her.
“I will pay you. I promise….I will pay every penny back!” Her voice echoed through the near empty room.
The huge man flung her to the hard floor and she fell to her knees clutching her bag and shivering.
Frank Jobs; her biggest nightmare and the reason her father lay dead, pulled roughly on her hair and raised her to face him.
“I don't like excuses very much honey bear” he drawled, a wicked smile spreading all over his face.
Cassie stood before him trembling. She could hear her heart beating furiously in her chest and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking or the tears from flowing. The man before her was the source of her greatest pain.
Even though the police told her that her father suffered a heart attack and died in detention, she knew Frank Jobs was behind his death. Her father's gambling issues had finally brought her family to ruin. A man like Frank Jobs wasn't the type to forgive a debt.
He had continuously terrorized her family ever since her father failed to meet up with their agreement.
His eyes scanned her face and brightened with satisfaction as she shook before him and choked on her tears.
“Your father owes me a lot of money.” His hands moved quickly from her hair to her neck and held her in a tight grip. “Do you know how much?”
Cassie shook her head vigorously, blinking rapidly and trying to stop his hands from strangling her. He laughed loudly and turned to his men standing across the room.
“She doesn't know! Awwww ... .honey” his voice dripping with mockery. But then, he suddenly stopped laughing and let her go with such force that she staggered back completely stunned to silence.
“You have 1 year to pay me my money. 200 thousand dollars, no more, no less or else…!”
He paused as if he had suddenly remembered something important. He reached for his phone in his suit, scrolled for a little while and turned the phone to her.
Cassie gasped in shock “ No! No! Please! Please!”....
Her sister Maya’s picture flashed clearly before her. Her only sister. The only family she had left.
“No!! I beg you!” She screamed reaching for the phone as if to save her sister but Frank visibly enjoying her pain snatched it away quickly, laughing loudly.
Something in her snapped at that very moment.
She glared at him, blinded by the tears covering her eyes and face. He saw her expression change and his face darkened with a strange psychotic expression daring her to say a word of protest.
“Oh don't worry…I won't kill her. Not immediately. I will make her work for my money first”.
He stared deeply into her eyes and smiled as he watched the meaning of his words dawn on her. “She is young and beautiful. Perfect candy for the right pric….”
“Nooo!!! No! I will pay you in one year. You can not touch my sister!” Cassie screamed falling back to the floor helplessly.
“You have one year Cassie Barns, remember that” he replied chuckling.
“You cannot touch my sister. You cannot touch my sister” Cassie continued to chant the words as Frank’s henchmen dragged her blindfolded through his dungeon into their minivan and through the city.
She chanted the words with tears flowing freely down her cheeks as they pushed her out of the moving van onto the front of her apartment complex.
She kept chanting as she knelt right there in the street until they drove away and she didn't stop as she made her way into her shabby apartment and crumbled to the floor. She slept off while repeating the words, dreaming of her sister and her father, his calm face in death haunting her dreams.
She woke with a start the next morning Frank’s threat repeatedly echoing in her head as she rushed to dress up for work. She struggled to smile as she walked through the doors of the Scott Medical Towers where she worked as a cleaner.
“Good morning Dr. Dan”
“Good morning Ma'am” She greeted the doctors and patients with a big smile on her face.
She kept the smile in place as she went from office to office and from room to room, clearing the trash and mopping the floors. She barely acknowledged anyone else as she kept having flashbacks from her encounter with Frank the night before.
“Cassie! Be careful!” Linda’s voice filled with concern called out to her, jolting her back to reality.
She realized she was just about to walk straight into a glass door and quickly retraced her steps.
“Oh, I am sorry”
Linda moved closer to her, her face full of concern “You have been really distant today. Are you okay girl?” Linda was a nice lady but Cassie wasn't used to sharing her personal life with others.
“I am alright, thank you” she replied quickly, keeping her head down as she walked away. She sighed deeply in relief when Linda didn't follow her to ask more questions.
“Good morning Dr. Kim” she greeted cheerfully with a bright fake smile plastered on her face. The older lady who was always in a hurry responded with a nod and continued on her way to the elevator ahead.
Cassie continued her cleaning but then quickly noticed that a small flyer had fallen from Dr. Kim’s ward coat pocket.
“Dr. Kim, your…” Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the words on the flyer.
She raised her head to see that Dr. Kim hadn't heard her and had gone up in the elevator.
She returned her attention once again to the flyer and as she read through, her eyes widened in shock.
The sound of gunshots echoed in her dreams, forcing her eyes wide open. Clutching her stomach protectively, she tried to sit up but a sharp pain stabbed through her shoulders, forcing her backwards.Strong hands pushed back on her hands and she opened her eyes to see Zander staring into her face, his eyes filled with concern.With his rumpled shirt, ruffled hair and the dark circles under his eyes, he looked like he had not slept in days.“Where am I?” Cassie asked. Her hoarse voice sounded so strange in her ears.But one thing weighed heavily on her mind as the memories of the shooting flashed back to her mind.She clutched her stomach. It felt round and soft underneath the soft fabric of her hospital gown. She felt no pain on her belly.“My baby?.....” As the words left her mouth, she suddenly remembered that she had never told Zander. Her eyes flew to his eyes which remained fixed on her face. Did he watch the video? Did he know about the baby now?Zander nodded and as their eyes
The creaking sound of the light bulb dangling in the center of the empty room was the first thing Cassie heard when she woke up.Squinting to see clearly in the dimly lit room, she glanced to the side and sighed in relief to see Maya sprawled on the floor, deep asleep.She wasn't sure how long they'd been sleeping but everywhere was silent. A bodyguard sat by the door, wide awake and scrolling through his phone.Someone had loosened the ropes around her arms. The door suddenly burst open and Cameron stormed in with Frank following closely behind.Cassie sat up in the chair, her eyes and ears on full alert.What happened? Why was Cameron looking so angry?“I told you he would try something crazy, didn't I? My face is all over the news!” He yelled, banging his fist on the concrete wall.Her legs shook beneath her. The news? Frank suddenly turned to glare at her as if he had just remembered that she was in the room.“Your boyfriend seems to enjoy pissing me off huh?”She stared at him.
The tension in the room was palpable as Frank and Cameron exchanged glances behind the scene.After a long pause, Frank turned back to the screen, an evil smile hovering on his face.“You have 30 minutes. If I call back in thirty minutes and you haven't granted my requests, then you will not see your woman ever again”The threat was loud and clear. The billionaire heir to one of the largest business empires in the country was being asked to choose between his inheritance and some random woman.Cassie blinked hard to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She knew he couldn't see her from the video chat. They were keeping her as a last resort.She whimpered softly, watching the dread cloud his face as he nodded before the screen went blank.They were asking him to choose between her and his company? Frank gestured to one of his men who moved over to turn the camera towards her.“Now, you're going to read that letter to the camera for your little boyfriend” Frank ordered.She lif
She blinked again to be sure. “What…..what is this? Why?.....” She wasn't even sure which question to ask. He stopped a few feet from her and stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at her.She met his gaze and shivered at the icy look in his eyes. It almost felt like she didn't really know him anymore.The silence in the room was deafening. But not as loud as the pain of betrayal slicing through her ribs, squeezing the air from her lungs and leaving a trail of bitterness in her throat.Her eyes followed him as he lowered to a squatting position.“I am sorry, Cassie but I had no other choice….”She narrowed her eyes at him. What on earth did he mean by that?“What connects you to this….this man?” She blurted out, struggling to keep the tears from spilling over.“Why are you helping him?” She asked, throwing a quick glance in Frank's direction.Cameron sighed.“I just want to claim what is mine and Zander is standing in my way. He took you from me…..he has taken everything away
(TWO DAYS LATER)“Do you think we are making a mistake?” Zander asked, glancing at the document in his hand.He watched silently as Stone typed rapidly on his computer, barely listening to the conversation.“I am sorry but I don't think Miss Cassie has the patience to wait.” Stone replied.Zander nodded and glanced again at the file in his hand. It has been barely 48hrs and even though Cassie appeared to be calm and following their instructions, he had just received an update from Jeffrey.“She has just sold her jewelry collection worth over 5 million dollars to a collector and was seen making trips to the bank in secret just this morning." Stone added.He had to agree. It was a suspicious move. She didn't trust him enough to wait and decided to take matters into her own hands.“You think she will pay the money?” He muttered.He already knew the answer. There was no sacrifice too big for Cassie to make for her sister.Could he blame her though? Would be have done anything different?
“He called again?” Zander asked, the disappointment clearly written all over his face.Cassie nodded, lowering her eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, barely concealing his frustration.“I am not surprised. I expected another call and that is why I left some of my men behind to keep an eyes on things….” Stone murmured.As he said the last part, he turned slowly to glare at the officers who quickly lowered their heads in shame.“Why did I leave you behind if you had to miss such an important update?” He scolded them.Cassie sighed. “It isn't their fault. They didn't know that I had a phone with me in the room and no one could have known when I woke up and took the call….”They had only found out that she was awake a few minutes ago, when the detective and Zander had returned. She caught an officer trying to stifle a yawn.They must have been awake all night.“What did he want? Did he make any demands?” Zander asked, breaking the awkward silence.Cassie’s head snapped up and her conv
Zander watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest in her sleep. It had taken a solid hour but eventually, the crying and sobbing finally pushed her to sleep. Stone hovered by the door, waiting to speak to him.He glanced at him and sighed deeply.If only he could just stay by her side while handling things. He desperately wished he could just watch her sleep and everything would be fine by morning.Another signal from Stone finally forced him to move away. He slid his hands from underneath her and let her body fall gently into the soft sheets, then covered her up and strolled to the door.“I don't think....." Stone began but Zander hushed him with a wave.“Shhhh...... she's finally sleeping." he whispered.He shut the door with a soft click behind them and pushed Stone ahead, far away from the door.“Alright. Go on..."“Well......we cannot do much right now...." Stone continued, his ice blue eyes barely hiding his frustration.Zander frowned. That wasn't what he was expecting to h
Cassie stood like a statue in her living room, barely listening to the bustling of officers moving from one point to another.Detective Stone stood like a general in command gesturing in different directions as they set up all kinds of equipment in her house.A gentle tap on her shoulder forced her out of her thoughts and she jumped in surprise.“Heyy" Zander whispered.“It's just me. How are you holding up?" he asked, his kind eyes peering into her face.She barely had it together. All it would take to crush her right now was a any bad news about her sister. But she plastered a weak smile on her face and turned to him.“I am good"His brows twisted for a second and the doubt crossed his eyes but he pursed his lips. She glanced around at her living room. Stone and his men had converted it into a control room of some sorts with monitors and strange devices she couldn't recognize.Zander moved away from her and drew closer to the detective but she followed closely behind him, her ears
Cassie tried hard not to let her eyes follow Jim as he paced from one end of the office to another.“Come on, Jim. You're going to punch holes in the floor with all that pacing” He turned to her with a pout and rubbed his forehead in frustration.“Easy for you to say, superstar. You're not the one who's going to reject all those juicy deals and watch money move from our hands to another's pockets”She shook her head. It was even more painful for her to think about all the money she was going to lose but she had to think about her baby first.Jim stopped pacing to look at her.“You are really not going to tell me why you need this urgent break?” He asked, his curious eyes searching her face.She lowered her head to avoid his eyes. It wasn't fair that she wouldn't give him any good reasons for her actions but Jim was always kind and understanding, so he wouldn't push for answers anyway.“I don't think you'll understand, Jim. I really need a break to sort out something personal” she rep
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