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Semua Bab SURROGATE FOR THE COLD BILLIONAIRE: Bab 1 - Bab 10

47 Bab

CHAPTER 1

EMMA'S POV "Your sister has maybe three months without the treatment." Dr. Martinez's words echo in my head as I race through the hotel's kitchen, my hands shaking so badly I nearly drop the tray of chocolate soufflés. Three months. Ninety days. That's all Lily has left unless I can somehow pull together two hundred thousand dollars for an experimental treatment that insurance won't cover. Two hundred thousand dollars. I can't even afford this month's rent. "Chen, those soufflés needed to be plated five minutes ago!" Chef Bernard's voice cuts through my panic. I nod and force my trembling hands steady. The soufflés are perfect, risen exactly right, the kind of work that should make me proud. Instead, all I can think about is Lily lying in that hospital bed, her skin too pale, her smile too tired. I'm arranging the final garnish when someone slams into me from behind. The tray tips, and I watch in horror as six perfect chocolate soufflés tumble to the floor in a cascade of shatte

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CHAPTER 2

DOMINIC'S POV The girl from the freezer won't leave my mind.I sit in my office at midnight, staring at the contract my lawyers drafted, and all I can see is Emma Chen's tear-streaked face. The desperation in her eyes that mirrored something I understood too well.Desperation makes people do impossible things. I should know. I built an empire on it.My phone buzzes. Marcus, my CFO and closest friend."Tell me you didn't actually offer some random hotel employee half a million dollars to be your surrogate," his text reads.I type back: "She's not random. She's perfect.""Perfect how? You met her in a freezer while she was having a breakdown.""Exactly. She needs the money badly enough that she won't get attached. Won't expect more than what the contract offers. Won't complicate things."Three dots appear, then disappear, then appear again. Finally: "You're going to hell."Probably. But I'll be a father before I lose everything my grandmother is threatening to take away.I pull up Emma

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CHAPTER 3

EMMA'S POV The hospital smells like antiseptic by the time I arrive. I find Lily in her usual room, sketching. She looks up when I enter, and her smile is so bright it breaks my heart."Emmy! I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."I sit on the edge of her bed, clutching my purse where the check from Dominic Westbrook burns like a secret. Two hundred thousand dollars deposited this morning, just like he promised."I have good news. I got a new job. Corporate consulting for a hotel chain. The signing bonus is enough to cover your treatment."The words taste like lies, but Lily's face transforms with such pure joy that I almost believe them myself."Emma, no. That's too much. You can't…""It's already done. Dr. Martinez is starting your treatment next week."Lily starts crying. "I don't know what to say.""Say you'll fight. Say you'll let me do this."She throws her arms around me, and I hold my little sister while she sobs. I'm doing the right thing. Even if it means lying to everyone

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CHAPTER 4

DOMINIC'S POV Dr. Patel's office smells like vanilla and expensive hand sanitizer.I arrived fifteen minutes before Emma. The waiting room has soft lighting and abstract art. Everything designed to make nervous couples feel calm.Except Emma and I aren't a couple. We're a business arrangement, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm doing something fundamentally wrong."Mr. Westbrook?" The receptionist smiles. "Dr. Patel is ready for you.""I'm waiting for someone."I check my phone. One twenty-eight. Emma should be in my car right now. I texted her this morning to confirm, and she responded with one word: "Okay."Not reassuring.The door opens, and Emma walks in. She's wearing jeans and a sweater, her hair down. She looks young and scared."Hi," she says quietly."Hi. Ready?""No. But I'm here."The receptionist leads us to Dr. Patel's office. Photos of babies cover one wall. Hundreds of babies.Soon there will be one more.Dr. Patel enters. She's in her forties with kind eyes."Domi

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CHAPTER 5

EMMA'S POV Three weeks into hormone treatments, and I want to murder everyone.I'm standing in the hotel kitchen trying to plate a dessert while my hands shake and sweat drips down my back. The hormones make me hot all the time, nauseous half the day, and so emotional I cried yesterday because a customer sent back a crème brûlée."Chen, you okay?" One of the line cooks asks. "You look pale.""I'm fine. Just tired."That's the lie I've been telling everyone. Not: I'm pumping my body full of hormones to prepare to carry a billionaire's baby.My phone buzzes. A text from Dominic: "Appointment with Dr. Patel tomorrow at 10 AM. James will pick you up at 9:30."I've seen Dominic exactly twice since that first appointment. But mostly, he's been absent. Texts about appointments. Emails from his assistant. Nothing personal.Exactly what the contract specified.So why does it bother me?I finish my shift and drive to the hospital. Lily's in the common room playing cards. She's gained weight, a

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CHAPTER 6

EMMA'S POVThe two-week wait is torture.I go back to work at the hotel, pretending everything is normal while obsessively analyzing every twinge and symptom. Is that nausea morning sickness or leftover hormones? Are my breasts tender because I'm pregnant or because I want to be pregnant?Dominic texts daily. "How are you feeling?" "Any symptoms?" "Are you resting enough?"I keep my answers short, afraid of reading too much into his concern.Eight days after the transfer, I'm plating desserts when the room tilts sideways. I grab the counter, but my knees buckle.I wake up on the kitchen floor with Chef Marco hovering over me."Emma! Can you hear me?""I'm fine," I mumble, trying to sit up."You passed out. I'm calling an ambulance.""No! I mean, I don't need an ambulance. Just low blood sugar."But Marco's already on the phone.An hour later, I'm in the ER when Dominic storms through the curtain, his face pale."What happened? Are you okay? Is the baby—"He stops, realizing we're not

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CHAPTER 7

EMMA'S POVMrs. Kowalski discovers I'm crying over a commercial about puppies."Kochanie, what's wrong?""Nothing. The puppies found homes and it's just so beautiful." I'm sobbing into a throw pillow at ten in the morning, still in my pajamas.She sits beside me, rubbing my back. "Hormones are terrible things. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I cried because my husband folded the towels wrong.""Did it get better?""Eventually. Then the baby came and I cried about everything else." She smiles. "But you have good reason to cry. This is hard thing you're doing.""I signed up for it.""Doesn't make it easier." She studies my face. "You like him. Mr. Dominic.""What? No. It's just a contract.""Contract doesn't make you look at him the way you do.""I don't look at him any way."She pats my hand. "Okay, kochanie. You keep telling yourself that."After she leaves, I t

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CHAPTER 8

EMMA'S POVWe don't talk about what Dominic said.For three days, we move around each other carefully. He asks about my doctor's appointments. I tell him the babies are growing normally. We're polite strangers sharing a space.On Sunday morning, I wake up to find him in the kitchen making breakfast. Badly."What are you doing?" I ask."Attempting pancakes. Mrs. Kowalski has the day off and I thought you might be hungry."The batter is lumpy and the stove is smoking. I take the spatula from him."Move. You'll burn the place down.""I can cook.""Evidence suggests otherwise."He steps aside, and I fix the batter, adjust the heat, and make actual edible pancakes. We eat in silence at the kitchen island."These are good," he says."Basic cooking skills. I learned before culinary school.""You miss it. Cooking professionally."It's not a question."Every day. But the bed rest is necessary. For the twins.""After they're born, you'll go back to it.""That's the plan."More silence. Then Dom

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CHAPTER 9

EMMA'S POVDr. Patel's office is cold.I'm lying on the exam table while she does the twelve-week ultrasound. Dominic stands against the wall, arms crossed, maintaining his careful distance.We haven't spoken about the balcony conversation. That was four days ago."There's Baby A," Dr. Patel says, pointing at the screen. "And Baby B. Both measuring perfectly."Two tiny shapes on the screen. Hearts beating. Arms and legs visible now."They're so small," I whisper."They'll get bigger. Trust me." Dr. Patel smiles. "Everything looks excellent. Emma, how are you feeling?""Better. Less nauseous.""Good. The second trimester is usually easier. You can resume light activities, but nothing strenuous."After the appointment, James drives us home in silence. Dominic stares out the window."Did you want to know the genders?" I finally ask."Do you?""I asked first."He

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CHAPTER 10

EMMA'S POV We don't talk about what happened in the car. For a week, we move around each other even more carefully than before. Dominic leaves early for work, comes home late. I eat dinner with Mrs. Kowalski and pretend everything is normal. It's not normal. I'm sixteen weeks pregnant now. There's a small bump that I can't hide anymore. The babies move sometimes, little flutters that remind me this is real. On Friday, Mrs. Kowalski corners me in the kitchen. "You need to talk to him." "I don't know what you mean." "Don't play dumb with me, kochanie. You and Mr. Dominic, you're both miserable." "We're fine." "You're both in love and too stubborn to admit it." I nearly drop my water glass. "I'm not in love with him." "No?" She raises an eyebrow. "Then why you cry every night? Why you sit by the window waiting for him to come home?" "I don't—" "I'm old, not blind. And he's just as bad. Staring at his phone hoping you'll text. Working late because he's afraid to be near you.

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