Semua Bab THE CEO’S SURROGATE(WOMB CONTRACT): Bab 31 - Bab 40

(Elena’s POV)( Two weeks later)If someone had told me a month ago that I would be sitting at the Carrington family dinner table as Alaric Carrington’s fiancée, I would have laughed in their face.If they had also told me I would be nervous about it I would have laughed harder. Yet here I was very nervous.The black car rolled through a pair of wrought-iron gates and onto a winding driveway lined with ancient oak trees. At the end sat the Carrington estate, illuminated by golden lights against the darkening evening sky.It wasn’t a house.It was a powerful statement.Historical Generations of wealth.Everything about it screamed old money.Beside me, Alaric looked completely unaffected.Of course he did.He had grown up here.I, on the other hand, was trying very hard not to look like I wanted to turn around and go home.“You’ve been quiet throughout the ride.”I glanced at him.“I’m preparing my will.”A corner of his mouth twitched.“It’s dinner, Elena.”“It’s an execution.”“It’s

(Elena’s POV)The ride back to the penthouse was quiet.Not the comfortable kind.Not the kind Alaric and I had somehow fallen into recently.This silence was heavier.Filled with questions neither of us wanted to ask.Or answer.The city lights flashed across the car windows, illuminating Alaric’s face for brief moments before darkness swallowed it again.He sat beside me, one hand resting against the armrest, his expression unreadable.Usually, I found that frustrating.Tonight, I found it exhausting.My head rested against the cool glass.My stomach still felt unsettled.The nausea had eased, but fatigue lingered stubbornly beneath my skin.The doctor’s words from a few days ago echoed through my mind.“The procedure was successful.”Not pregnancy.Not yet.But possibility.A very real possibility.And somehow, everything else kept pushing that reality into the background.Maya.Xavier.The company.The engagement.The Carrington family.It was all becoming too much.“You’ve been s

(Elena’s POV)I woke up feeling awful.Not tired.Not sleepy.Not even sick.Awful.The moment I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong.My stomach rolled.My head felt strangely heavy.And every muscle in my body seemed determined to protest the simple act of existing.I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow.Maybe if I stayed here long enough, the day would give up and leave.A few seconds later, another wave of nausea hit.Apparently not.“Wonderful.”My voice sounded muffled against the pillow.The universe remained unsympathetic.Slowly, painfully, I pushed myself upright.Big mistake.The room immediately tilted.I squeezed my eyes shut.“Absolutely not.”I sat motionless until the dizziness passed.When I finally stood, I moved carefully toward the bathroom.The cold water helped.A little.Not much.I stared at my reflection.Pale.Tired.Hair a mess.Eyes slightly swollen from lack of sleep.I looked less like the future Mrs. Carrington and more like someone w

### (Elena's POV)By the next morning, I had come to a very important conclusion.Alaric Carrington had completely lost his mind, thoroughly and irreversibly.The proof was everywhere.There were now security guards stationed at every entrance of the mansion.Every hallway seemed to have at least one person walking through it.The front gate had somehow become more secure overnight.Even the gardens were being patrolled.The gardens for heaven's sake.Who exactly was going to attack me through a rose bush?Apparently, Alaric thought someone might.I stared out the dining room window as two security officers walked across the lawn.Then another.Then another.I wasn't entirely convinced they weren't multiplying.A cup of tea appeared beside me.I looked up.Maria smiled sympathetically."You should drink something, Miss Elena."I glanced at the tea.Then I immediately regretted it.The smell alone made my stomach twist."Oh no."Maria sighed."The tea again?""The tea again," I muttere

### (Elena's POV)“What about your brother?” The library fell quiet after I asked his brother.The kind of silence that wasn't empty.The kind filled with things left unsaid. I watched him from where I sat next to him; his gaze remained fixed on the windows.But he wasn’t really looking at the mirror; he was thinking about something far beyond the window. Something only he could see.For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then I asked the question that I have always wanted to ask."What happened?"Alaric didn't move, nor did he attempt to answer.I knew he understood exactly what I meant."What happened to Ethan?"The silence stretched. Long enough that I thought he might ignore me. Or shut down completely.Instead, he exhaled slowly."He died." My chest tightened at the words. I knew how I felt when I got the news about Maya and how I waited and prayed that she would come home one day, but she never did. I thought she was dead, and the pain wasn’t something I could cry out. I tri