Wanted: Billionaire's Surrogate

Ethan’s POV The steady hum of the engine filled the silence as my car rolled past the tall iron gates of the Lancaster Estate. It’s been years since I last came here. The place looked smaller than I remembered. The gardens overgrown, the fountain in the courtyard no longer running. Matagal rin akong 'di nakauwi. Now, I'm here again. I shouldn’t have come. I told myself that the last time, too. But the family lawyer called and said it was urgent, saying that my father’s condition had worsened. Kahit naging malayo ang loob ko sa kaniya hindi ko parin sya matiis. I couldn’t exactly ignore it. I loosened my tie as I stepped out, the late afternoon sun brushing against the stone walls of the mansion. My father’s voice was the first thing I heard when I entered his room, hoarse but commanding, like a man who refused to surrender even to death. “Ethan,” he said, looking up from his bed, his breathing shallow but his eyes still sharp. "Hindi ko inaasahan na makakapunta ko." Na

Ava’s POV The buzzing of my phone dragged me out of my restless sleep. Namumula pa nang bahagya ang mga mata ko dahil sa kulang sa tulog at sumabay pa ang nanuyo kong lalamunan. The faint morning light slipping through the curtains reminded me everything I wanted to forget. Kahit sandali lang, kahit ilang minuto lang, hindi ko naalala ang katangahang ginawa ko kahapon, unti-unting nanumbalik ang lahat sa isip ko. The cold, pristine walls of the Vale Fertility Foundation. The sterile scent of disinfectant. And him— Ethan Lancaster. Like a bad memory, I grimaced. I groaned, covering my face with my pillow as shame burned through my chest. Anong ginawa ko? Hindi ko alam kung ano ang pumasok sa kukote ko at nakaya kong pumasok sa building na 'yon in the first place. Desperation? Siguro. As the regret slowly crept inside of me, the image of my mother lying on the hospital bed, suddenly flashed in my mind followed by the ₱189,540 bill na kailangan ko pang bayaran. The regret turne

Ava’s POV Two weeks. Fourteen endless days filled with waiting, working, and pretending that everything was fine. I buried myself in the hospital’s routine, taking extra shifts, volunteering to cover for anyone who needed rest. Anything to keep my mind from spiraling into what-ifs. Every night, I went home with aching feet and an empty heart. Every morning, I reminded myself to smile at patients, to comfort worried families, to keep breathing. Because that’s what I knew how to keep moving forward even when the world kept pulling me down. Napansin ni Mira, of course. “Ang tahimik mo na lately,” she said one afternoon while we folded fresh linens in the nurse’s lounge. “More than usual.” “I’m fine,” I lied automatically. She gave me that skeptical look she always did when she knew I was lying. “Fine doesn’t look like someone who hasn’t eaten lunch for three days.” I forced a small laugh. “Marami kasi akong iniisip.” “You always do,” she murmured, then added sof

Ava’s POVThe car ride should’ve been quiet. Peaceful. One of those soft, cinematic moments where two people sit in silence while streetlights paint the windows gold.Pero hindi.It took Ethan approximately twelve seconds to start an argument.“You’re not going back to work,” he said, eyes fixed on the road like the traffic offended him personally.I blinked at him. “Excuse me?”“You heard me.”“Oo, narinig ko.” I said, leaning closer, “pero parang nabingi ata ako.”His jaw tightened. “You need to rest. Celeste said—”“Celeste said I should avoid overworking,” I cut in. “Pero hindi nya sinabi na titigil na ako at dedepende na sayo. Ano ako? Charity case?”Ethan gave me a side-eye so sharp it could’ve cut glass. “Ava. You looked like you would collapse yesterday.”“I did NOT collapse,” I corrected.He inhaled slowly. “Ava,” he said firmly, “stop working.”“Ayoko.”His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “You can’t afford to push yourself. And I won’t risk the procedure failing again.