Asuma Sarutobi Twelve Guardian Ninja

“She signed up to carry his child and not steal his heart.” Diana Wood agrees to become a surrogate for reclusive, powerful, emotionally distant Billionaire Theodore Smith. It's meant to be strictly business: Twelve months—a discreet legal process. No attachment. Confidential. Life-changing compensation, enough to save her sister’s life. But twelve months is a long time to live in someone else's world, especially when walls come down, unexpected laughter, shared vulnerabilities, and the heart gets involved. Love was never part of the deal, and they both question everything. Was it ever just an agreement or the beginning of something real? What happens when a contract ends but love is just beginning? Will they be able to face what neither of them planned for?

My sister had always despised school. So when she suddenly declared she wanted to go to college—and even urged our parents to marry me off to a high-ranking officer's son to fund her studies—I knew at once: she had been reborn too. In our previous life, my sister believed studying was pointless. She barely graduated high school before marrying Anthony Brown, the officer's son who had come to propose with a pretty penny. However, when Anthony was later transferred to a remote outpost, she found the harsh conditions unbearable and refused to follow him. Meanwhile, I worked part-time jobs to put myself through college, landed a secure job after graduation, and became a full-fledged city resident. My sister, still living in the military compound, started using her father-in-law's name to take bribes. Her actions dragged him into a scandal and got him dismissed from his position. Eventually, my mother-in-law kicked her out. After the divorce, she was tricked into investing in stocks in Eastbridge City. The market crashed, and she lost all of our parents' retirement savings. Desperate and with nowhere to go, she turned to me. Cornering me with a knife, she demanded I hand over my savings and apartment so she could "start over." In the chaos, she stabbed me twelve times. I died from massive blood loss. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment she asked our parents to marry me off to Anthony. This time, I smiled, said yes—and dropped out of school that very day.