Alle Kapitel von THE CEO’S SURROGATE(WOMB CONTRACT): Kapitel 21 – Kapitel 30

(Elena’s POV)I couldn’t breathe.For a moment, I genuinely couldn’t.The room seemed to shrink around me.The walls.The bed.The windows.Everything.All I could hear was the pounding of my heart.Used Maya’s employee credentials.The words echoed inside my head like a cruel joke.Because Maya was gone.For two years, Maya had been gone.Yet somehow her name kept appearing.In files.In investigations.In surveillance footage.And now in a leak designed to destroy me.I stared at Alaric.“That’s impossible.”His expression didn’t change.“I know.”“No.” I shook my head. “You don’t understand.”I pushed the blanket aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.Immediately, dizziness hit me.Alaric was beside me before I could steady myself.His hand wrapped around my arm.“Easy.”“I’m fine.”“You fainted six hours ago.”“And now I’m awake.”“That’s not the same thing.”I shot him a look.He didn’t budge.Typical.I exhaled sharply and sat back down.My body still felt weak.My mi

(Elena’s POV)The tension in Carrington Tower was impossible to ignore.By noon, it had spread through every department, every office, every hallway.Nobody knew exactly why an emergency shareholder meeting had been called.But everyone knew something was happening.The rumors alone were enough to shut down productivity.I sat in my office pretending to read through financial reports while my phone vibrated every few minutes with messages from employees, department heads, and even people I hadn’t spoken to in months.Most of them wanted information.The rest wanted gossip.I gave them neither.A knock sounded against my glass door.Before I could answer, Lana slipped inside.She looked around dramatically before shutting the door behind her.I sighed.“What now?”“Chaos.”I stared at her.“That’s not helpful.”“It is if you appreciate accuracy.”Despite myself, I laughed.Lana dropped into the chair opposite my desk.“The entire company is losing its mind.”“I noticed.”“No, you don’t

### (Elena's POV)The next morning felt strangely normal. And somehow, that scared me more than everything else.For weeks, my life had been a constant storm. Scandals. Betrayals. Board meetings. Anonymous threats. Missing sisters. Corporate sabotage.Yet when I opened my eyes that morning, the first thing I heard wasn't bad news.It was the sound of TV reporters.I blinked slowly.Sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting soft gold patterns across the room.For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. Then reality settled —Alaric's penthouse—my temporary home.My stomach twisted in tight knots at the idea of Alaric’s penthouse as my temporary home. It felt heavier than it should have.I waved off the thoughts as I climbed out of my queen-sized bed and headed downstairs.The sweet, bitter smell of coffee hit my nostrils like an unexpected slap to the face.The loud voices from the television playing financial news, somewhere in the sitting room, drew my attention away from the

(Elena’s POV)I thought the second appointment would make me feel better.It did the exact opposite.The entire drive to the clinic, I kept telling myself it was just a follow-up.Just another checkup.Just another doctor, making sure everything was progressing as it should. Nothing more.Nothing less. Yet somehow my hands refused to stop fidgeting in my lap.Beside me, Alaric was unusually quiet. Not the cold, intimidating silence he wore in boardrooms. This was different.Thoughtful.Almost distracted.I caught him glancing at me twice before he realized I noticed.The third time, I sighed.“You’re doing it again.”His gaze shifted from the road to me.“Doing what?”“Watching me.”“I’m driving.”“That’s not an answer.”His mouth twitched.“I was checking if you were comfortable.”“There.”I pointed at him.“That.”“What?”“The hovering.”“I’m not hovering.”“You absolutely are.”He returned his attention to the road.“I think you’ve become obsessed with that word.”I folded my arms.“A

(Elena’s POV)By Wednesday morning, I hated everyone,Including myself.Especially myself.I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at my reflection with narrowed eyes.There was absolutely no reason for me to be standing there at six-thirty in the morning, glaring at my own face like it had personally offended me.Yet here I was.My hair was a mess.My stomach felt strange.Not painful.Just… unsettled.And I was tired.Unbelievably tired.The kind of tired that settled into your bones and refused to leave.I splashed cold water on my faceIt didn’t help.Nothing helped.A wave of nausea rolled through me unexpectedly.I grabbed the edge of the sink.“Oh, come on.”The words came out weak.I wasn’t sick.The doctor had already explained that the hormones and medications could affect my body.That everything I was experiencing was normal.Normal.I hated that word.Because normal didn’t explain why I suddenly wanted to cry over absolutely nothing.Or why the smell of the lavender soap I’d u