Surrogate Wife For The Mysterious Billionaire

SCARLETT’S POV.

Today is the day I decide to carry another man's child in my womb, while still married to my husband, Aaron.

I know it sounds so crazy, but I have thought of a thousand reasons to back out of this decision, yet nothing else holds me down as much as the fear of losing my husband. The last time I spoke to the doctor, I was warned that if Aaron didn't get a surgical operation within the next four weeks, he would be at risk of dying.

The burden to raise the money for his surgery fell solely on my shoulders, and his mother wasn't taking it easy on me at all as she told everyone who cared to listen that I was the reason behind her son's misfortune. She never accepted me as her daughter-in-law, anyway.

When I first saw news of an unknown billionaire who needed a woman to bear a child for him through surrogacy, I applied nonchalantly, without any expectations.

Early this morning, a strange number called me, informing me of my scheduled interview with Mr D, the billionaire in need of a surrogate.

"Have I been selected?" I squealed with surprise.

"No, not yet. A private doctor shall be assigned to you during the interview and if your medical details match what Mr. D wants, you shall sign a contract for the surrogacy. Kindly head over to the 5th herring bus stop, and one of our drivers shall come over to pick you up"

Giddy with excitement, I packed all my medical documents, throwing them into the only handbag I had and I rushed out of the house.

*************************************

I have been at the bus stop for half an hour, yet there was no sign of any assigned driver, neither was there another call from the person who directed me to this place.

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead and it took everything in me to stop myself from going back home. The distance back to the apartment I shared with Aaron was quite far, and after walking all the way to this bus stop, I wasn't ready to give up yet. I threw a sharp, nervous glance at my phone's screen.

Time was fast flying by.

I leaned on the wall, ignoring the wary stare of the traffic warden who had been watching me ever since I arrived at the bus stop and failed to get on any of the three buses that stopped by.

Suddenly, a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up. The car's smooth lines glistened in the streetlight and its windows were tinted, so I couldn't make out who was inside. My heart started to race as the car idled to the club. Immediately, my phone rang out. The caller ID read "unknown" but I picked up anyway, my hands trembling as I held the phone to my ear. A deep, gravelly voice spoke on the other end, "Scarlett Stones?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do, but the voice spoke again, more insistent this time, "Get in the car that's in front of you."

My legs felt as heavy as a rock as I slowly walked towards the Rolls-Royce and slid into the back seat. The door closed behind me with a heavy thud. Then, I jerked my head sidewards and realized that there was someone else in the backseat with me. It was a man in a well-tailored black suit. He was heavily bearded and the pair of dark shades he had on covered half of his face.

His lips were set in a hard, firm line as I settled into the seat.

"Welcome, Miss Scarlett Stones." He said curtly.

I nodded, grateful that he had mistaken me for someone who was unmarried by addressing me as Miss. Who the hell would ever believe that a married woman could sign up for a process like this?

I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

I didn't know if I was more scared of the unknown, or of the possibility of being rejected.

No! I couldn't afford to be rejected. This was my only shot at trying to save my husband. The driver slowly put the car into motion and joined the traffic on the highway. The ride lasted for almost an hour, during which I could swear that the man beside me had either fallen asleep or simply died because of how still he sat, without moving any part of his body.

Soon, the car pulled up at a checkpoint, right outside a large gate. The man beside me pulled out a blindfold from a bag at the corner and flung it at me.

My mouth dropped open, "What's this for?"

He faced me, "Your eyes. You need to put that over your eyes. You are not allowed to know the location we are taking you to."

I looked down at the blindfold in my hands and my heart began to pound inside my chest. This was getting even stranger by the minute.

I stared at the car door, willing myself to reach for the handle and get out.

"Do that immediately!" The man barked, startling me.

I hurriedly tied it over my face, sealing off my eyes. A chill ran through me as I dug my teeth into my lower lip, forcing myself to stop thinking of the possibility that I had gotten kidnapped.

I was doing this for Aaron; I just had to do this for him.

An hour later, I found myself in a luxurious mansion, surrounded by eight men. I was seated on the only chair in the room, and there was a large table in front of me with papers strewn across it.

I felt numb as I eyed the men without a word. I didn't remember walking into this room, neither did I remember seeing any of these people.

One of the men noticed that I was awake and he informed the other man who stood beside him. I recognized him as the stranger who had ridden with me in the car on my way to this place. He hurried over me in long strides and when he got close, he folded his hands over his chest.

"The examination is over, Miss Stones." He announced.

My eyes widened, "What do you mean? How's it over? When did it happen?"

His lips curled into a snarl and he directed one of the men to pack up the papers on the table before he faced me again, "We only put you to sleep. It may please you to know that you have been selected for the surrogacy."

His words hit me as a shock and I sat upright on the chair, "Selected? You mean, I get to have the money involved?" I asked.

He nodded. "We have examined over 50 young women within the last one week, and you have the most suitable DNA and bloodline that matches the requirements, hence you will get paid, as long as you fulfill your own part of the deal."

I held my head in my hands, as tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't believe that I was finally going to pay for my husband's surgery fees.

"Ma'am?"

I looked up at him, wiping at my tear-stained cheeks as I sniffed.

"The big boss wants to speak to you. It won't take long. Follow me."

I bobbed my head and jumped to my feet. My heart was thudding in my chest as he led me into an adjoining room. It was spacious and well-furnished, with a large table in the center. The walls were lined with bookshelves and a fireplace crackled in the corner.

"The big boss will be here shortly." The man beside me said, leaving me immediately in the room. I remained rooted to the spot, and some minutes later, another door which I hadn't noticed earlier, opened and a man wearing a mask walked into the room.

I bit back a scream, my chest tightening with fear as the man approached the table in the room.

He took a seat behind the desk and motioned for me to sit in the chair across from him and I did so, smoothing my skirt nervously.

He cleared his throat and began to speak in a low and husky voice.

"100 million dollars. All you have to do is birth my child and I'll pay you in full to get the hell out of our lives and never show your face again. If you ever come for the child, I'll make sure death becomes your favorite wish. Tell me, are you sure you want this?"

SCARLETT’S POV.

"Are you dumb?" A voice asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at the masked man before me and it felt like my tongue had been tied because I wasn't even able to speak. Rather, I shook my head and started to cough.

He leaned back on his chair, folding his arms across his chest. I knew he was watching me through the mask and worry gnawed through me.

"I asked you a question." He said.

I let out a harsh breath and mumbled, "Yes, yes. I am very sure about this. What are the terms of the contract, please?"

"Almost everything has been stated in the document you shall sign next week. However, I have to make certain things clear."

I bobbed my head as I clenched my fists, waiting for him to continue. At this point, I was ready to do just anything, as long as I got the money for my husband's surgery.

"Are you married?" He blurted.

The question threw me aback as I wondered if my response would cause me to lose this deal.

"Uh! Yes..yes..oh, no! I'm not" I stuttered.

He drew close to the table, and placed both of his elbows on the edge, leaning his face on his hands.

"Do you have some sort of mental illness? You don't seem alright."

"I am okay, Sir!" I exclaimed.

"Why then is it hard for you to remember your marital status?"

I fiddled with my bag and looked away from the masked face, "Sir, I'm married, but I promise, this won't affect the surrogacy contract. I badly need the money for my husband's hospital bills."

The man remained still. It was difficult to tell if he was looking at me because I couldn't make out any features of his face behind the mask.

The thudding in my heart became louder, and for a split second, I was worried that he could hear it from across the table.

"You will be flown to Italy for the duration of your pregnancy and kept in a private apartment with minimal human interaction. You'll receive half of your payment as soon as you get pregnant, and the other half shall be paid as soon as you give birth to my child."

"Yes, Sir."

"In order to give you time to prepare for this, you won't be signing the contract until next week."

I nodded my head again, and he raised a hand in the air, waving me away.

"Leave now!"

I scampered to my feet, grabbed my bag and fled from the room.

Soon, I was headed back home. By the time I arrived at my apartment, Aaron's mother's car was parked in our driveway. My heart raced as I walked up to the front door.

Aaron's mother, Mildred, never missed any opportunity to lash out at me over anything and everything. I hesitated before opening the door and when I got in, I saw Mildred seated on the couch.

She shot me a cold glare as I closed the door behind me.

"Where have you been all day?" She asked.

"Mum.."

"Will you shut up?" She snapped, "Do I look like your mother? Where have you been all day?"

"I went for a meeting at—"

"Oh! Is that so? My son is lying half dead in the hospital, just because of you! If only you truly loved him as much as you claim you do, you would find a way to get him out of there!"

I clutched my bag, and shuffled my feet, as unease settled over me.

"I'm trying my best to raise some money." I muttered.

She sprang up from the couch and headed towards where I stood by the door.

"Listen to me, you wretched girl, Everything is your fault!" She yelled, wagging her finger in my face, "I'm so sure that if my son hadn't gotten married to you, he would be with a better woman, instead of battling with cancer at the hospital."

One thing I never understood about Aaron's mother was how she firmly believed that it was my marriage with Aaron that caused him to have cancer of the heart. There was clearly no way I was behind his current condition, yet I swallowed her words.

"You have just this week!" The woman before me barked. "If you fail to do anything by the end of this week, I'll issue you divorce papers on behalf of my son. We don't even need you in our lives."

I ran past her and headed straight for my room, where I locked the door and broke down in tears.

I knew Aaron's mother too well to understand that she never made empty threats. The thought of getting divorced from Aaron terrified me as he was the only family I had ever since I left the orphanage. He was the only man who truly loved me, and I couldn't risk losing him, not to death and definitely not through a divorce.

I didn't know how long I cried in my bed, but somehow, I dozed off and woke up the following morning.

I woke up with a resolve in my heart. I didn't have to wait until next week to sign the surrogacy papers, not while I stood at risk of losing the only person who ever wanted me.

So, I called the man from yesterday and told him of my intention to commence the contract signing immediately. He seemed pleased by my decision and soon, a car picked me up.

*****************************

I spent almost the entire day, undergoing a series of medical examinations, and even got stripped several times. "The big boss ordered that we should do a thorough recheck of your details again." A female doctor had said earlier.

As long as I was going to leave this place with the money in my account, I didn't care if they wanted to carry out more medical examinations.

Soon, I was called back into the masked man's office where I quickly signed the contract papers.

Surprisingly, a cheque was issued to me and when I scanned the content of the slip of paper in my hand, my eyes almost popped out of shock.

"100 million dollars?" I exclaimed.

The masked man nodded.

"Let's say, that I've been satisfied with the results gotten from the re-examination. So, I decided to pay in full. We need you back here by next week as your travel documents shall be ready."

Gratitude filled me as I clasped my hands, "Thank you so much. It means so much to me that you are trusting me to give the full payment, even before I begin my own part of the deal."

The masked man broke into a muffled laughter, cocking his head sideways.

"Don't be so fast to conclude." He said.

"What?"

"You just assumed that I trust you. News flash, I don't use the word 'trust' easily. As a matter of fact, I will not hesitate to end your life if you ever try anything funny during the duration of this contract. I will not give a damn whether you are carrying my child or not."

His words filled me with dread and a knot formed at the pit of my stomach.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Aaron's mother was shocked when I paid for his surgery in full, and she kept hinting that I must have done something illegal in order to get such an amount of money overnight. I ignored her. I had more important things to do, such as getting ready for the task that lay ahead.

The only person I ever revealed my surrogacy plans to was Adrianna, my friend.

"You shouldn't have agreed to this!" She had said with disapproval.

"I'm already too far in it." I said, folding my clothes into my suitcase. "I need to go and bear his child because he has paid me."

"Don't you think you're cheating on Aaron?" She asked.

I threw her a sharp glance, "Aaron is the reason I even opted to do this. Besides, I won't be getting intimate with the billionaire who needs a child. Everything will be done by his doctors, so I'm technically not cheating on him."

She didn't have anything else to say, but it was clear that she didn't approve of my decision. I decided to deposit 60% of the money I had paid into Aaron's bank account before I finally left.

On my way to the airport, I received a call from an unknown number.

"Scarlet Stones?" A familiar male voice said.

"Yes..yes, Sir?" I stammered.

"The big boss asked me to inform you that he'll be flying with you on his private jet. Also, drop every bag you have packed. You won't need that. You'll be taken for shopping when you arrive at Italy."

My mouth turned dry as a beep sounded on the line, indicating that the call was over.