All Chapters of Surrogate To My Ruthless First Love: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Morning arrived softer than usual, but Leo still woke with the strange weight that had followed him since finding the newspaper clipping in Seraphina’s study. The folded paper sat inside his school bag now, hidden between robotics notes and competition sketches, and he still could not explain why he brought it. He only knew that leaving it behind felt wrong in a way he did not understand. At breakfast, Seraphina watched him longer than normal. Leo noticed. “You keep looking at me.” Her hand paused over her coffee. “Do I?” “Yes.” He pushed fruit around his plate. “You’ve done it three times.” A small smile touched her face. “Maybe I’m checking if yesterday’s sadness disappeared.” Leo thought about that. “It got smaller.” “Smaller is good.” He nodded. Then looked down again. The newspaper inside his bag suddenly felt heavier. Across the city, Luna sat quietly while Clara adjusted earrings in front of the mirror. “You’re unusually silent.” Luna kept tracing stars on th

The article exploded before breakfast.Not gradually.Not quietly. It hit every major business blog, celebrity page, parent forum, and social account connected to the city’s elite circle as though someone had spent days preparing the perfect moment and finally pressed release. MADAM S USING CHILDREN FOR IMAGE REPAIR? DID SERAPHINA THORNE RETURN FOR REVENGE OR REDEMPTION? IS THE CORPORATE QUEEN BUILDING A FAMILY IMAGE CAMPAIGN? Inside Clara’s apartment, the television kept running while Vanessa sat calmly on the sofa drinking coffee like chaos was simply another morning routine. Clara stared at the screen. The news replayed Family Day footage. Seraphina. Leo. School moments. Public appearances. Board events. Every clip looked harmless. Together they looked intentional. Clara turned sharply. “You promised damage.” Vanessa remained relaxed. “This is damage.” Clara pointed at the screen. “They’re talking about her again.” “Yes.” Vanessa finally looked up. “And now the

The robotics lab felt louder than usual that afternoon because competition season had finally stopped feeling exciting and started feeling real. Tables were covered with wires. Half-built frames sat beside laptops. Students argued. Teachers moved from group to group trying to keep order before someone decided teamwork meant open war. Leo stood beside the main project table with his arms folded while Nathan remained on the opposite side pretending not to look at him. Their machine sat unfinished between them. Mia quietly adjusted code. Oliver spun in his chair. Teacher Harris finally clapped once. “Everyone listen.” The room settled. “We received new competition instructions this morning.” Nathan frowned immediately. Leo looked up. Teacher Harris continued. “Regional qualifiers added a split challenge.” Murmurs spread. Oliver blinked. “What’s a split challenge?” “It means one team becomes two.” The room exploded. Nathan straightened. Leo’s e

The academy art room smelled faintly of paint, paper, and sharpened pencils, and for most students that afternoon it felt exciting because the exhibition boards had finally been arranged and everyone wanted their work chosen for display. For Luna it felt different. The blank page in front of her looked bigger than usual. Too white. Too empty. Emily already sat beside her drawing flowers around a giant family tree that somehow included cousins, grandparents, pets, and what looked suspiciously like three cats wearing hats. “You still haven’t started,” Emily said while coloring a leaf. “I know.” “You always say that.” Luna looked down at the paper again. The exhibition theme remained written across the top. Family History The words still made her uncomfortable. Not because she had no family. Because she did. Daddy. Clara. A house. A room. Breakfasts. School mornings. But every time she thought the picture was complete something missing appeared again. Gray eyes. Ra

The academy had never looked this alive. Color banners stretched across the entrance. Student artwork covered display walls. Parents moved from room to room carrying cameras, coffee, flowers, and expectations while teachers tried to control the growing crowd before the exhibition officially opened. Outside the gates reporters waited again. Not close enough to enter. Close enough to watch. Family events had become news now. That alone annoyed Ronan. He stood near the security station reviewing movement reports while staff rushed past him. Everything looked normal. Too normal. His instincts hated that. One guard approached. “Entry volume increased by thirty percent.” Ronan nodded. “Keep live tracking active.” “Already running.” His eyes stayed on the screen. Academy map. Parent movement. Hall access. Child locations. Then he saw something strange. Brief signal loss. Only seconds. Still wrong. Inside the art wing Luna adjusted her drawing carefully before plac