Chapter 6 The Velvet Trap

POV: Liora Hayes

Walking out of the hospital felt like walking toward my own execution. The rain had slowed to a miserable, freezing drizzle that clung to my eyelashes. Xavier led me toward the curb, where a long, black town car sat idling.

It was the same kind of car that had splashed me hours ago. Maybe it was even the same one. The sleek metal was polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the gray morning sky and my own haggard, broken reflection.

Xavier opened the rear door for me. I hesitated. Once I stepped into that car, Liora Hayes...the girl who worked double shifts and believed that hard work would eventually pay off...would be dead.

"The clock is still ticking, Liora," Xavier reminded me softly.

I climbed in.

The door shut with a heavy, expensive thud, instantly cutting off the sound of the city. Inside, it was a different world. It smelled like rich leather and expensive cologne. The seats were heated, the warmth seeping into my frozen bones, but I didn't feel comforted. I felt like I was being swallowed by a beast.

Xavier sat across from me. He pressed a button, and a small partition slid up, isolating us from the driver. He reached into a small refrigerated compartment and pulled out a bottle of sparkling water, handing it to me.

"Drink," he commanded. "You look like you're about to faint. I can't bring a half-dead girl to see Mr. Volkov."

I took the bottle but didn't open it. My hands were still clutching my father's broken watch. "How do you know my name? How do you know about my mother's debt?"

Xavier leaned back, crossing his legs perfectly. "Liora, when a man like Darian Volkov needs something, he doesn't just look...he investigates. We know everything. We know about the $512,000 debt. We know about your father's passing three years ago. We even know you haven't paid your electricity bill this month."

I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. I felt naked. Exposed. "You've been spying on me."

"We've been evaluating you," he corrected. "Darian Volkov doesn't just hire anyone. He needs someone young, healthy, and most importantly...someone with no ties. No boyfriend, no powerful family to interfere basically someone hopeless...like you.You are remarkably alone in this world, Liora. That makes you the perfect candidate."

I looked out the tinted window. The hospital was fading into the distance. Somewhere in that maze of concrete, my mother was being wheeled into a crowded, dark room.

"You mentioned a service," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "What kind of service is worth half a million dollars?"

Xavier watched me for a moment, his eyes scanning my face as if looking for a crack in my resolve. "Mr. Volkov is the head of a multi-billion dollar empire. But empires are fragile without an heir. His father, Sergei, is... old-fashioned. He has set an ultimatum. Darian must produce a son to secure his position as CEO."

"So he wants a wife?" I asked.

Xavier laughed, a short, dry sound. "Darian Volkov does not do 'love,' Liora. He doesn't want a wife who will take half his fortune in a divorce. He doesn't want a woman who will ask where he is at three in the morning. He wants a biological legacy. A child that carries his blood, but carries none of the emotional baggage of a mother."

My stomach turned. "You want me to be a surrogate."

"I want you to be a provider," Xavier said, leaning forward. His voice became low and intense. "The deal is simple. You will live in the Volkov estate. You will be provided with the best medical care, the best food, and every luxury you can imagine. You will carry his child to term. The moment that child is born, you sign away all rights and walk away."

"Walk away to where?"

"To wherever you want. With five hundred thousand dollars in your bank account," he said. He paused, letting the number hang in the air like a lure. "That is enough to pay off every cent of your mother's medical bills. It's enough to buy her a house. It's enough to make sure you never have to pour coffee for a man like Joe ever again."

I thought about the $12.43 in my bank account. I thought about the red paper in my hand.

"And if the baby... if I can't let go?" I asked.

Xavier's face turned stone-cold. "That is not an option. The contract you will sign is ironclad. You will be a shadow in that house. A ghost with a purpose. You are not a mother, Liora. You are a service provider."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He began typing a message.

"Who are you texting?" I asked.

"The hospital," Xavier said without looking up. "I'm telling them to stop the transport. I'm telling them the deposit is being wired as we speak."

I felt a rush of relief so strong I almost burst into tears. My mother would stay in the private wing. She would get the surgery. She would live.

But then Xavier looked up at me, his eyes dark.

"But remember, Liora... I haven't hit 'send' yet."

He held the phone up, his thumb hovering over the screen.

"Before I save your mother's life, you need to understand one thing. Darian Volkov is not a kind man. He is a king who expects total obedience. If you agree to this, your life is no longer yours. You are his property for the next nine months."

He stared at me, waiting. The car was silent. The only sound was the humming of the engine and the beat of my own terrified heart.

"Well, Liora?" Xavier asked. "Is your mother's life worth $500,000, or should I let them keep driving that ambulance?"