All Chapters of The Billionaire's Secret Surrogate : Chapter 11 - Chapter 18

AVASunlight streamed through the tall windows, soft and golden, warming my face. I blinked awake, disoriented at first, until the scent of whiskey and cedar hit me.I wasn’t in my bed.I sat up slowly, realising I was curled on the couch in Colton’s study, his shirt draped over me like a blanket. My heart skipped at the sight of it—soft white cotton, still carrying his scent, his warmth—but then I noticed the empty room.He was gone.I swallowed hard, pulling the shirt tighter around myself as reality crept in. What had I done?Shoving the thought down, I got up quickly, grabbing my discarded pyjamas and underwear from the floor and clutching them to my chest. My only goal was to get to my room without seeing anyone. Without being seen.I cracked the study door open and peeked into the hallway. Empty. Good.I hurried down the corridor, barefoot, my hair a mess, Colton’s shirt hanging far too loose on me. Each step felt like walking on a tightrope over a pit of mortification. If Marga

AVA I felt him before I saw him.That heavy, electric pull in the air—like the room tightened just because he stepped into it. My fingers stilled where they rested over my stomach.Slowly, I lifted my head.Colton was standing at the top of the stairs, shadows cutting across the hard planes of his face. His eyes—God, those eyes—were locked on me, burning in a way that made my skin prickle.For a moment, neither of us spoke. The house was so quiet I swore he could hear my heartbeat.“You’re awake,” I whispered, because I had to say something.His jaw ticked. “Couldn’t sleep.” His voice was low, rough, like gravel under wheels.I nodded, not trusting myself to say more. My hand drifted unconsciously over my belly, and his gaze followed the movement.Something flickered in his expression—pain? Anger? I couldn’t tell.“Colton?” I asked carefully. “What’s wrong?”He took a step closer, then stopped, his fists curling at his sides like he was holding something back. His throat worked once

AVA We walked out into the city like two people who owned nothing but the time they had with each other. The air was sharp and bright, the kind that made everything look newer — storefronts gleamed, pigeons argued over crumbs, and people hurried past with the anonymity of strangers. Molly linked her arm through mine and steered me toward the nearest café, already chattering a mile a minute about which places we had to hit.“First coffee. Then we attack the shops,” she declared, like we were planning a heist rather than a day of harmless indulgence.Inside the café, the steam from the espresso machine fogged the windows. We found a small table by the glass; Molly ordered two cappuccinos and a slice of lemon cake because she had always believed sugar fixed most things. We talked in the easy rhythm of old friends — little updates, big laughs, the kind of conversation that didn’t need to be edited. She told me about work nonsense, the neighbor’s ridiculous dog, the latest gossip, while I

COLTON Her words lodged in my chest like a splinter I couldn’t dig out. Inevitable.I didn’t flinch, though every muscle in my body begged me to react. Instead, I leaned back in the leather booth, forcing a calmness I didn’t feel, my hand curling loosely around the edge of the table. My glass remained untouched.“Careful, Vivienne,” I said evenly, voice low, the kind that made men at the poker tables fall silent. “You’re stepping somewhere you don’t belong.”She smirked, clearly enjoying herself. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Colton. I’m only making conversation.” Her manicured finger trailed the rim of her glass, slow, deliberate. “Your sister… She was beautiful. Spirited. But fragile things always… break. Don’t they?”Heat crawled up the back of my neck, but I swallowed it down. Losing control here—in my club, in front of her—would only feed her.“I don’t recall asking for your opinion,” I replied, each word precise, clipped, and sharpened.Vivienne leaned forward, her perfume driftin