Chapter 6 A Bold Plan

Aaron

I watched my grandfather leave the room with firm steps, leaving behind a mixture of disbelief and shock on our faces. Could he be imposing such a condition to hand over control of Baumann Industries? A great-grandchild? Was that really what he wanted in exchange for power?

I glanced at Paolla, my wife, sitting next to me. She looked as beautiful as ever, her posture perfect and her facial expressionless. Paolla had always been the ideal trophy wife, from a traditional family in São Paulo. Elegant, educated-exactly what I needed to keep up appearances. But children? That was a topic we had never seriously discussed.

Before I could say anything, Axel headed to the luxurious bar in the corner of the room. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured himself a generous glass.

"Does anyone else want some?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm and disdain. He looked at us, knowing full well the chances of any takers were slim.

Annelise was the first to stand up, still wearing an amused smile on her face.

"I'll pass. I have more interesting plans for tonight." She winked at Anton, who looked bored but got up at her signal.

"We have an important event to attend," Anton announced, slipping his phone into his pocket and adjusting his jacket. "Good luck with... all of this," he added, vaguely gesturing towards Axel and me.

I couldn't resist the sarcasm in my voice as I replied, "I didn't realize yacht orgies were considered important events these days."

Anton and Anneliese just smiled, not bothering to deny my jab.

"Good luck, Aaron," they said almost in unison, not even glancing at Axel.

That was a clear sign that everyone knew about my plans and desires to run the Baumann empire.

I watched them leave, the room growing even quieter and more tense. Axel approached me, holding his whiskey in one hand, his expression filled with disdain.

"So, Aaron, what are you going to do now?"

I sighed, rubbing my face with my hands.

"I don't know, Axel. I don't know."

Paolla finally spoke, her voice soft but firm.

"Aaron, we need to talk about this. Now."

I looked at her, trying to find some sort of answer in her eyes.

"I know. We need to find a solution."

Axel shook his head, taking a sip of his drink.

"Good luck with that, brother. I'm not giving up football right now, and Anton... well, we know how he is."

Axel walked away, leaving the two of us alone. Meanwhile, my grandfather's words echoed in my mind. He knew I was the only one with a real chance of fulfilling his condition.

"Let's go, we'll talk in the car," I said, already heading for the exit.

She nodded, and we walked to the car. My grandfather's mansion, which I had always considered my home, now felt like a minefield. The matter we needed to discuss was far too important to be talked about in enemy territory. I had hoped he wanted a married grandson to take over Baumann, but a great-grandchild was beyond any reasonable expectation.

In the car, I rehearsed an attempt to talk about children with Paolla.

"So, about what my grandfather said..."

She cut me off abruptly.

"We'll talk when we get home, Aaron."

I was anxious the entire drive from the mansion to the gated community where we lived. The silence between us was heavy, each mile adding to my unease.

As soon as we reached the living room of our house, I took a deep breath, planning to bring up the topic again. Before I could say anything, Paolla dropped a bombshell on me.

"I can't have children, Aaron."

It took me a few seconds to absorb the impact of that revelation. Her words echoed in my mind, each syllable hitting hard.

"What? What do you mean?"

She looked down, avoiding my gaze.

"I'm sterile. I found out a few years ago, but I never thought it would be an issue for us. You never mentioned wanting kids."

Emotions crashed into each other inside me. Anger and frustration rose to the surface.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because I didn't think it mattered," she replied, her voice trembling. "I thought our marriage was based on other things, Aaron. I never thought kids would be a factor."

"Three years of marriage, and you didn't think it was important to tell me that kids were out of the question?"

Paolla just shrugged dismissively, as if it didn't matter to her at all. Her frivolity had never bothered me... until now.

I sank into the couch, trying to process everything. My mind was racing, desperately searching for a solution. My grandfather, the future of the company-everything seemed to be falling apart right in front of me.

"We need to think of an alternative," I finally said, more to myself than to Paolla.

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

I couldn't stop thinking about my grandfather's words and Paolla's revelation. It felt like the ground had opened up beneath me, leaving me in free fall. After a sleepless night, I decided I needed to vent, and no one was better for that than Eric, my best friend. I grabbed my car keys and headed to the private clinic he owned. I needed someone to help me see things more clearly.

When I arrived at the clinic, Eric greeted me with a concerned smile.

"Aaron, you look awful. What happened?"

As he watched me closely, I tried to organize my thoughts. Unable to stay in one place, I started pacing back and forth across the spacious, incredibly stylish office. The words poured out of me like a flood.

"My grandfather decided he's going to hand control of Baumann Industries to the grandchild who gives him a great-grandchild first. And Paolla... she told me last night that she can't have children. I never thought that would be a problem for us, but now... I don't know what to do."

"Have you talked to Paolla about alternatives? Artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization?"

I shook my head, frustrated.

"I tried. She's completely against it. She doesn't want to ruin her perfect body with a pregnancy. I don't know how to convince her."

I kept pacing, my mind racing. I was trying to find a solution, a way to reconcile my grandfather's wishes with my current situation. Eric stayed quiet in his chair, watching me with a thoughtful expression.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Eric finally spoke.

"Aaron, I think I have an idea."

I stopped pacing and turned to him, hopeful.

"What are you thinking?"

Eric smiled, that familiar smile he always had when he was about to offer a clever solution.

"There's another way for you to have a child without Paolla needing to be pregnant."

"I don't see how that's possible," I said, frustration evident in my voice.

"We find someone willing to be a surrogate. What do you think?"

I was surprised, considering the idea.

"A surrogate? But how are we going to find someone willing to do that? And who would that person be?"

Eric stood up and walked to the window, looking outside as he spoke.

"You know I do volunteer work at a shelter, right? There are some beautiful girls there, in dire financial need. Nothing a full medical checkup, a shopping spree, and a visit to a good hairdresser couldn't fix."

"Wait..." I said, looking at Eric in disbelief. "Are you suggesting I conceive a child the traditional way?"

My mind started working at full speed, weighing the implications.

"Of course, Aaron! We can't risk involving more people in this mess. And you know Leonel Baumann would never accept his grandson using another woman-besides his wife-to have a child."

Eric was right. My grandfather was a man of traditional values and would never approve of such a scheme.

"Maybe you're right..." I said, still a bit unsure about the wild idea.

"I am right, my friend. Besides, paying someone to carry your child in Brazil is illegal, you know that. We don't need to make this more complicated."

"Do you think Paolla would agree? Worse yet, do you think any of those women would accept?"

Eric turned to me, serious.

"I have no doubt they would. They're in a difficult situation, and the money could help a lot. But we need to be careful. This is a delicate matter."

I sat down, trying to process everything. A surrogate mother. Could that be the solution to our problems? I looked at Eric, feeling a new sense of hope.

"Let's try it."

I felt anxious, but for the first time since that dinner at my grandfather's mansion, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe, just maybe, this could be the solution to all my problems.