All Chapters of THE GODFATHER'S RUNAWAY SURROGATE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Alessandra's POVThe heavy mahogany doors of the Rossi mansion didn’t just keep the cold Manila night out; they locked me into a beautiful, agonizing prison of my own making.Three years.For three long years, my arms had felt entirely empty. Every single night, I woke up drenched in sweat, my chest aching with a phantom weight. I could still hear the echo of my newborn baby’s first cry being wheeled away from me the second he was born. I remembered the cold, clinical voice of the doctor: "The transaction is complete, Miss Santos. The Don’s heir is no longer your concern."But a mother's heart wasn't a contract. You couldn't just sign it away, void it, or pretend it never existed.Now, dressed in the drab, oversized gray uniform of a low-tier housemaid, I gripped the microfiber cloth and polished the marble counter of the mansion's vast kitchen. My fingers were trembling. It wasn't from the cold, but from the lingering sensation of the tiny, soft hand I had briefly held earlier that a

Alessandra's POVThe air in the playroom instantly turned freezing.I scrambled to my feet so fast my knees hit the edge of the wooden toy shelf. A sharp pain shot up my leg, but I barely felt it. I quickly pushed my thick glasses up the bridge of my nose, keeping my eyes firmly trained on the cream carpet. My heart was beating a frantic, agonizing rhythm against my ribs.Please don’t let him throw me out. Please."Daddy!" Leo’s small voice broke the suffocating silence.I risked a tiny glance through the corner of my eye. Leo had stood up, clutching the red fire truck tightly against his chest as he looked up at his father. There was no running to hug him, no childish excitement. Even at three years old, Leo seemed to know there was a boundary between him and the formidable man who ruled this house.Vincenzo didn't look at his son right away. His gray eyes remained fixed on me, heavy and incredibly sharp. He stepped into the room, his movements slow and predatory. He had discarded hi

Alessandra's POVI knelt on the floor, barely keeping myself from pulling Leo into a hug that would probably scare him. Instead, I just smiled, my eyes burning with unshed tears as he stopped right in front of me."Hi, Leo," I said softly, keeping my voice gentle. "Your nanny is resting today, so I’m going to hang out with you for a bit. Is that okay?"Leo looked at me for a second, then gave a quick nod. "Can we play with the cars?""We can play with whatever you want," I replied, a genuine warmth spreading through my chest.For the next three hours, I forgot about the crushing weight of the Rossi name. We sat on the soft rug in his bedroom, rolling wooden cars back and forth. I listened to his tiny, sweet voice babble about red trucks and fast engines. It was so easy to be with him. Every laugh he let out felt like a piece of my broken soul coming back together. I memorized every detail—the tiny dimple on his left cheek, the way his nose crinkled when he giggled, the exact shade of

Alessandra's POVI barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing Vincenzo’s intense gray eyes staring at me from the dark foyer. It was like he was trying to look right through my fake glasses, past my cheap maid's uniform, and straight into my secrets.Morning came too fast. The sun hadn't even cleared the high concrete walls of the estate when my alarm went off. I sat up on my narrow cot in the staff quarters, my head throbbing. I quickly tied my hair back into a tight, neat bun, put on my glasses, and smoothed down my apron. Today was going to be difficult. Lucia was staying in the mansion, and that meant the house would be on high alert.In the kitchen, the atmosphere was tense. Chef Roberto was furiously chopping herbs, and the junior staff were rushing around carrying silver trays."Alessa, thank goodness you're here," Mrs. Gable said, her voice sharp but slightly frantic. "Miss Lucia wants her breakfast served in the sunroom. You take it to her. And make s

Alessandra's POVI stood alone in the quiet hallway, staring at the closed heavy wood door of Leo's nursery. The sound of Vincenzo's deep voice murmuring something soft inside the room barely carried through the thick panels.My heart was still doing that stupid, frantic flutter.I needed to get out of there. I turned and practically glided down the corridor, keeping my steps as silent as possible on the thick runner rug. I didn't stop until I reached the safety of the back stairs, slipping down into the cooler, quiet air of the lower level.By the time I reached the maid quarters, the rest of the staff on my shift had already gone to bed. The small room I shared with another girl was quiet, saved for her soft, rhythmic breathing from the opposite cot. I didn't turn on the light. I just sat on the edge of my narrow mattress, staring at the tiny window that looked out onto the dark, rain-slicked courtyard.It was becoming so hard to draw the line.