The Millionaire´s Enigma

It seemed stupid to her to be forced to have a child. Having to prove to his father that he could have a genetic inheritance was not something Ayden Emory cared about. It was enough that he was one of the best businessmen in the United States, awarded many times for his business skills, and to top it off, he was running the family company with excellence.

Wasn't that enough?

Ayden laughed as he left his father's office, he may be an excellent businessman and have many awards, but he knows what good is nothing when it comes to negotiating with the man who taught him everything he knows.

"Katty, call my lawyer," he ordered over the loudspeaker to his assistant. Tell him to meet me at my house in an hour.

He hangs up.

She doesn't wait for them to say okay, much less say thank you. After all, they are just employees and do as they are told. He gets into his car and drives from his father's mansion on the outskirts of the city to the heart of Manhattan along 5th Ave.

He slows down upon arrival and hands the keys to his Aston Martin to his doorman for safekeeping. Likewise, he goes up to his apartment and searches directly on the internet for something that will give him an answer to what he needs, a son.

"I'm old and sick" he remembers his father's words, as if he were standing next to him.

"Old blackmailer" solves out loud.

He leaves his laptop on the table and walks straight to his bedroom, takes off one of the hundreds of suits he wears daily and leaves his chest bare, wearing only a tracksuit. He goes to the floor of his personal gym and stares at himself in the mirror.

"My body is mine, I'm fine, this is mental," he says to his image in front of him. My body is mine, I'm fine, this is mental.

He repeats over and over until the doorbell rings. He goes down to the second floor and opens it for his flamboyant and arrogant lawyer.

"Daniel, it's good to see you here," he greets, opening the door. Come in, I've ordered pizza. It doesn't take long to arrive.

Daniel, who knows perfectly well Ayden's secret, waits for him to advance so as not to invade his personal space.

"That's nice, but tell me, why did I come here?" One of Daniel Cheng's qualities is that he doesn't beat around the bush.

Ayden walks to his kitchen table, picks up his laptop, and sits down right in front of his lawyer in the living room. She puts the screen in front of him and Daniel looks at it carefully, as if studying it.

"Do you want to adopt?" He asks, confused.

"No, that's not an option," he clarifies, remembering that his father demanded that having an adopted child was not a possibility. He wanted to carry on the bloodline and have his grandchild inherit absolutely everything from them. I need a surrogate.

Daniel blinked, understanding his favorite client's words. She was making him hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

"Are you convinced this is what you want?" his lawyer asks hesitantly.

"No, but it's what I need to get my father to leave me the whole company," he clarifies, causing Daniel to be surprised. "He is dying, and he wants me to assure him that the family inheritance will not be lost in a government fund. He wants me to get married and have a family. You know about me..." he pauses, for he would rather not say out loud what they both already know. "It is more than clear that I will never be able to be intimate with a woman so. This is an option."

"But what about your brother?" He might be able to give him the grandson that old Gerard wants.

Ayden stands up, laughing at that comment.

"Well, you know my father barely tolerates it... and the truth is that I don't either," he confesses without any shame.

All those short answers make Daniel understand the situation better. He was unaware that Gerard Emory was dying. He would have to ask his father if he already knew. Having the Emory's as clients was no accident. The Cheng had made a name for themselves in the city thanks to both father and son working as their lawyers.

"I have to be honest Ayden, you are single and that is a big problem when it comes to finding the right woman. You have no references for what kind of women you like because you've never been in a relationship," he says, recalling his last surrogacy conference in New York State. You need eggs, and I'd like to know if you want the mother to donate them or do we have to get them?

Ayden hadn't thought about it, so she hesitates for a moment.

"If the mother donates them, does she have to be involved after the birth?" She asks in the hope that this is not the case.

"Of course not, we can define the contract to be as you want it to be." she clarifies, making Ayden hopeful.

"Okay, look it up, offer a good sum," he warns, hopefully. I want to clarify it that once I have my son, we will not see her again.

"Okay, I'll put my people to work," Daniel says, standing up.

"No, I want this to be private, I don't want anyone to know," he remarks ostracized. And one more thing, I want to interview her personally.

Daniel has hundreds of other questions, but he doesn't ask them, he knows just enough to look for that surrogate. How he will raise a child who needs to be carried when he himself will not tolerate being touched is none of his business.

The pizza arrives, and both men savor it while clarifying some other clauses of the contract. Like the care, the hospital and the needs of the mother, from clothes shopping to body massages.

"I really want to pamper the woman who will carry my child in her womb," assures the millionaire. I only ask that she be an intelligent woman, preferably, and that she doesn't have degenerative diseases. Look for her.

☆ﾟ･*:.˛˚ღღﾟ~εïз~ ღღﾟ･*:｡.･*.･*.☆

Arya lies excitedly at the university's awards ceremony, the IG Nobel's. Everything seemed to be going for the best. The prize around psychology was about to be named when a call on her cell phone interrupts her musings about the future winner.

"Hello," he answers as he picks up the call.

"Are you Arya Harley?" asks a female voice on the other end of the line.

"That's right."

"Your mother, Mirella Harley, has suffered a mishap at the mall. She collapsed and has been taken to the Carney Clinic," the woman explains calmly.

"Is she all, right?" She asks, feeling fear creep up her spine and breaking out in a cold sweat.

Her heart is racing, and she is afraid for her mother. She is the only person who loves her unconditionally. She is his anchor.

After knowing the basics, he hangs up to head to the clinic.

"Hey, wait!" asks her best friend when she sees her slipping out of the crowd to leave.

"I can't, I have to go, my mother is sick! Arya declares, leaving the room and leaving behind the long" awaited prizes.

As she moves to the clinic, she cannot stop thinking about her mother's wellbeing. She has been ill for months, but due to the lack of a good medical insurance, she has not been able to be treated as she should.

When he arrives at the clinic, he is informed that his mother is in a delicate but stable condition, which somehow reassures him. When he can see her, he enters the room to find that his mother is asleep, resting.

There was a time when his family was doing well, his father was a great protector and provider. His brother was loving and caring to the women in his family, and his mother baked pizzas every Saturday night. She missed those times when they lived in Cary, North Carolina.

Everything was perfect, until the mobile technology company his father worked for closed. He was transferred to one of their branches in Boston, but a car accident while they were on vacation damaged his eyesight and he could no longer work.

He fell into excesses. Bankruptcy soon came, and they had to move neighborhoods, thus arriving at their current residence. His brother began to associate with bad company and his father began to disappear. They were already seven years old, living in deplorable conditions. Her mother's health was declining, and her depression from her experiences prevented her from even going out to work.

Arya felt on the verge of collapse and sometimes thought it would be best to take her mother and disappear altogether. After all, her father and brother didn't care about them.

Waiting for her mother to wake up, she rereads the mail from a few days ago. She had been accepted as an exchange student in her last year. She was to go abroad, specifically to Germany. Not only that, but she was happy and worried at the same time; she would rather not leave her mother alone.

Furthermore, she imagined her life in Germany, away from her family problems and meeting new people. Besides the experience of learning about German medicine, which is said to be very sophisticated.

"How will I pay for the semester?" She asks no one in particular, looking out the hospital window.

All her life she had wanted to enter that university and now that she has finally achieved her dream, it appears that life has been determined to snatch it away from her.

"Miss Harley?" asks a doctor as he enters the room. Arya only nods and approaches him, who guides her on her way to the corridor. Perhaps so her mother won't hear.

"Are there any other family members with you?"

"No, it's just my mother and me. Are you going to tell me what happened?" She takes a brief look at her mother.

"She had a cardiac arrest; she is feeble and needs surgery."

Arya feels her whole world collapse.

The doctor starts talking and explaining what can happen, she as a medical student is aware of the terms, they tell her and is aware of the pros and cons.

Arya had hundreds of questions, firstly, about her mother's health and then the cost of all the procedures they do on her. It is impossible for her to cover that totality. She doesn't make enough money cleaning houses, and then there's college and the overseas exchange.

"God, I'll have to drop out of school," she thinks to herself.

"Wait, how much will all this cost?"

The doctor looks at her carefully before answering.

"I don't know if you have insurance, but if you don't, this will cost you a fortune," he says bluntly.

"How much?" Arya asks again.

"They will tell you later"

"Please, I need to know!" The young woman with faded and tousled hair begs.

"At least fifty thousand dollars because as I said, he may need surgery if he gets worse. If not, it could cost you a few thousand dollars," she says in a low voice, and then leaves for good.

Arya walks to the nearest chair and lies down in it. She calls her friend, who had previously told her about how her cousin had made a fortune doing nothing.

"Maybe what she did will help me in some way" she thinks as she texts Eleanor.

She has no options, it would be whatever it was her friend's unknown cousin did, or whoring herself out for a long period of time. And even then, who would want to have sex with a scruffy, skinny girl with no outstanding physical appearance beyond the freckles under her eyes?

Eleanor arrives as quickly as possible, concerned for her friend. Arya relates to her what happened, as well as her supposed exchange abroad. She cries inconsolably, as she feels sad, lonely and devastated. She knows she must be strong, but she doesn't know how to be.

"Would you tell me what your cousin did to earn money?" Arya finally asks. "I'm desperate, Eleanor," she declares in a whisper as she sips.

"What would you be willing to do to get the money you need?" She asks carefully, the last thing she wants is for her friend to see her as a madwoman.

"I'm desperate, at this point I'd do anything, we have nothing to eat," the frustration was almost palpable in every word.

Eleanor takes a breath and searches for the right words to tell her friend. The look of desperation on her face is what convinces her.

"My cousin has earned her money by being a surrogate mother, she has had a surrogate pregnancy," she emphasizes the word money to make it more appealing to Arya. Her friend looks at her with disbelief and even disgust, how does she think she would lend herself to such a thing? The baby's parents paid for everything, food, doctor's appointments, prenatal therapy, travel, everything, moreover amount. That could get you through your senior year of school.

"Eleanor, I'm a senior, do you think I would have a child just to get money? That's so far" fetched in so many ways.

Arya stands up feeling insulted, when she said "whatever" she meant legal things.

"It wouldn't be yours..." her friend clarifies from her place, as she gathers everything. You would only lend your womb to gestate the baby. The egg is already fertilized.

"I know what the process is, I remind you that we studied medicine," she says, raising her voice. But can you imagine having to spend the last year pregnant? That's crazy.

"Well, I was only giving you a choice," Eleanor says, standing up and walking next to her friend. I know you're having a hard time; I've seen you not eating and how thin you are, I know you're having problems at home and if I could, you know I would help you more.

"I know, and I appreciate your good heart, but I have to be able to do something, I will think about it and I will find another solution," she says without the certainty that this will be the case.

After talking a little more about it, Eleanor goes back home, leaving the matter gnawing at Arya's mind. Then she remembers her scholarship, the one that would give her the semester's tuition, money for her mother and her pass abroad.

"Maybe that will be enough to cover mom's expenses, the rest can wait, it's not the end of the world" She thinks to herself as she leaves the clinic searching for the nearest ATM.

He had only set aside ten dollars to pay for one of his mother's medications, and the rest was saved. He enters his password and then it hits him.

She feels her heart skip a beat and tears slowly fall as she sees her account at zero. Everything she had has been stolen.

"How is this possible?" he asks nothing.

He mentally reviews if he made any overpayments, but it's impossible. He hasn't used that card, and his cell phone is password-protected. Furthermore, he checks the details of the bank transactions and realizes that the money has been transferred to an account belonging to his brother.

It had been stolen by him. Somehow he hacked his phone, which wouldn't be too difficult, since it is old technology. He leaves the bank cursing his brother and then thinks of a way to get money back. Eleanor's voice echoes in his head, so he calls her.

The day passes slowly, Arya keeps thinking about it as she walks back to the clinic. Would she have what it takes to be a mother at such a young age?

The need was definitely greater than her fears, she would have to face them if necessary. When she arrives at the clinic, she goes straight to the assistant. She informs her that her mother had a heart attack and had been taken to intensive care.

"The doctor will see you once you come out of surgery and explain your mother's condition", the assistant informed her and then left.

"Eleanor?" she asked when the call was picked up.

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Arya, hey, is the payment secure?" she hesitantly inquires, and her friend knows what she means.

"Yes, the company that handles that, they make sure the clients are reliable. They even assign you a lawyer to look after your interests," Eleanor confesses, noticing that her friend is still worried. Are you okay? Has something happened?

"My mother got worse, could you please help me? I'm rushing for the money."

"Like I said, I have no choice," she thinks once more and sits in the living room waiting.

Arya was relieved that her mother was stable, but every detail about the procedures echoed in her head with only one word, money.

All that day she stayed at the hospital, her mother was in ICU, and she hoped for better news. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her, she had been her anchor when she needed her most. At noon, her neighbor Lora visited them and brought a couple of sandwiches for Arya, she knew the girl was too thin, and it wasn't exactly for keeping in shape.

She knew she had a good body, but malnourished as she was, the curves she once had were now hidden under her ample clothes.

Arya, who hadn't slept a wink all night, accepted her friend's proposal and over the phone helped her fill out the application form. The next morning, she decided to check her email account in the hope that the scholarship amount had been increased by a divine miracle. As soon as she logged in, she noticed that there was one from a lawyer, Daniel Cheng, inviting her to an interview for the surrogate position.

"Surrogate position."

That made her feel like it was just a job and that was it, it took the humanity out of such a beautiful act of love as having a child. But she couldn't complain, she decided she would do it, and this way she would settle the account at the hospital and be able to find a better place for her mother and herself. Away from her brother and that ugly neighborhood.

Mr. Daniel Cheng.

I accept the interview, please state date, place and time, do I have to bring specific documents or does my lawyer do that?

Greetings, Arya Harley.

He sends the mail and waits a few minutes as he continues walking to the bus stop. Once she gets on and takes a seat, the notification of new mail arrives. She is amazed that the company she applied for has responded so quickly.

Arya Harley,

The appointment would be tomorrow at the Plaza Hotel restaurant at ten o'clock in the morning. Just bring your ID card.

Fifth Avenue at Central Park South

New York, NY 10019

See you then.

Daniel Cheng.

Arya checks the mail several times, that's in New York, and she's in Boston. She goes on the internet and checks how she can get there, on the way by bus it would be at least almost four hours, the ticket costs her thirty to forty dollars... She has just enough money to get there and back. The train is even more expensive, so he decides to take the bus.

On the way home he buys some instant soup, takes a thorough shower and sleeps for a couple of hours. She picks up a small, larger bag with one more change of clothes and returns to the hospital. The next day falls on Saturday, Eleanor will be off, so he asks her to help him take care of his mother, so she can go to that interview in NY.

Arriving at the hospital, she finds that the doctor wants to talk to her.

"Is my mother okay?" she asks anxiously as soon as she sees her progenitor's cardiologist.

"She is stable, but she needs a valve repair, the one she has is damaged, and we need to operate on her again" the doctor informs concretely.

She knows what he is talking about, she is a medical student. Even so, the fear does not leave her and the anguish of not having money is even worse.

"Is it urgent?" she asks, not knowing what to do.

"No, she's stable, but she can't make it past tomorrow." suggests the cardiologist. "It's your decision whether you want to operate here or take her somewhere else, just know that in her condition it's better not to move her."

"Okay, give me time and I will give you an answer, will she resist?" she asks. She knows that the surgery must be done if or yes, but first she wants to negotiate.

"Yes, as long as it doesn't get worse," the doctor clarifies.

He has decided, and now he has to make everything go according to plan.

Eleanor stays with her mother, and she takes ourbus straight to New York. With a high ponytail, a little make-up, her best tailored pants and a blouse with matching jacket, she manages to look presentable for a business appointment.

A business deal where her belly will be the raw material to negotiate. Her low heels click on the polished floor of the Plaza Hotel. She had never visited New York, but the place dazzled her. Arriving at the front desk, she asked about the restaurant and a young woman directed a porter to take her to the site.

The domed sky of beautiful glass marveled her as soon as she entered.

"Reservation for Daniel Cheng" she announces to the host. He invites her in and guides her past the tables and their diners.

She feels the nerves in her stomach, her heart is racing, and she is a little afraid. Her small bag with only her cardex, an old cell phone that she has borrowed from her neighbor and pepper spray in case she needs it, is all that accompanies her. The money, she has better keep it in her bust, all in all, she only has about fifty dollars left.

"Come in" informs the rubbery-haired boy opening a door to a private room.

She enters and finds a couple of men in suits, one better looking than the other, one with a sour face and the other with a gentle face.

"Arya Harley?" asks Daniel, standing up when he sees her arrive.

"Yes," she extends her hand and greets him.

"Daniel Cheng, the lawyer who contacted you" she warns. "This is my client, Ayden Emory."

Arya out of inertia goes over to shake his hand, but he looks at her with disdain and indifference.

"Have a seat, miss," he says instead, pointing to the chair closest to Daniel.

The young woman is conflicted by his attitude, but accepts with a hint of annoyance, for if there's one thing she doesn't like, it's taking orders.

"Did you have a hard time getting here? I know you came all the way from Boston" Daniel warns, pouring her some wine in a glass.

"No, from the terminal I came by cab" she assures him nervously.

"So they do know I live there, and they still made me come all the way to NY" she thinks as she takes a sip from her glass to calm her nerves and build up her courage.

"Do you drink very frequently?" asks Ayden out of the blue.

"I don't usually drink, I'm in my last year of medical school and I have to keep my wits about me" she explains, then points to the glass. "I'm nervous, I just wanted to take courage."

"Okay, we wanted you to come because we wanted to know how interested you are in this and if you're really aware of what you're going to do" explains calmly, Daniel. "No one who is undecided of what they will do would travel all this way just for an interview, are you decided?"

Arya takes a breath, is she?

"Yes, I'm decided, I need the money" she says out of the blue, causing both men to look at each other, which leads to her having to explain. "I have... some family business."

Ayden wonders what kind of problems this young woman with wavy brown hair, waspish chocolate eyes and flushed cheeks could have.

"I didn't think the company was going to place me in an interview so soon" she hesitantly resolves.

"We are not linked to that company, a friend who works there passed me your contact, and pointed out that you were rushing for a payment, as much as my client is rushing to have a child" clarifies Daniel. Taking out some documents and placing them on the table.

"Will this be legal? I would rather not end up without organs and voted in a corner" he blurts out without thinking about it, fearing that happening.

"I assure you it won't, the applicant, my employer here" she points to the man on her right side. "You are a public and respected figure in the New York community. That is why we summoned you here, for your safety and confidence, but on future occasions, we will go to Boston."

Arya nods, assimilating the information and glances quickly at the man in front of her, he is handsome.

"Why would I want to hire a womb? Surely, any woman would be willing to give him a child" she muses, noticing the squared shoulders and biceps that are marked now that she has her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions, okay? Be as honest as possible" asks the lawyer, who in contrast to his -employer- is more polite.

Arya takes another swig from the wine glass as the man prepares his list of questions.

"Are you a virgin?" Arya almost spits out the drink, but holds it up. Ayden is shocked and looks at her with disgust. Daniel for his part laughs and passes her a napkin. "Sorry, it's things I have to ask."

"Okay, no problem," she says, pulling herself together. "No, I'm not." Ayden takes a drink from his glass of water as she takes the opportunity to follow up with her answer. "I mean, if a vibrator counts."

She notices how Ayden swallows hard and struggles to pass the water. Daniel laughs again, but when he notices his boss's frown, he relents.

"Well, this is awkward, but I'm going on," he says and picks up the pen. "Number of sexual partners?"

"Well I've only had a couple of dildos, turns out the latex ones are very sturdy" she replies smiling and Daniel lets out a laugh.

Ayden stands up in annoyance and breaks the good mood in the room.

"This is not a fucking game, Miss Arya" says the millionaire threateningly. "Get out."

"No, wait, I was just kidding" she clarifies seriously.

"I said, what, get out!" he punctuates each word and slams the table.

Arya, who sees her only chance, shattered, regrets having joked with the lawyer as she did, she never thought it would have such consequences.

She walks devastated to the exit without expecting anything, now she doesn't know what to do or whom to turn to. She goes into the nearest bathroom and locks herself in and cries.

"I missed a good opportunity, I'm finished" she thinks to herself mentally over and over again.

After a few minutes, she refreshes her face and lets down a few strands of hair to help hide the puffiness of her eyes. He takes a breath and walks back to the restaurant, walks to the exit and from there to the street.

She sees many cabs coming and tries to hail one, but instead a dark-colored Aston Martin pulls up in front of her. It is Ayden Emory.

"Get in," he asks, but she ignores him. "Is she always so hard-headed? Get in or no deal."

I hope that it wasn't all overtakes hold of her, and she gets into the sexy millionaire's car.

Neither says anything until they reach the parking lot of a tall building down the same street.

"This is my house," he informs as they get off. "Well, one of these floors is mine."

Ayden walks away from her without invading her personal space, and she out of fear of him doesn't approach either.

They enter the private elevator and arrive at Ayden's pent house.

"Come in, sit down, and I'll get you some water," he says without looking at her. "You've had enough to drink."

The fact that she threw those two drinks in his face is not lost on him. She makes a mental note that he doesn't like her drinking.

"I thought you wanted me to bugger off," she mutters in a thread of a voice, Arya, as he sets the glass of water in front of her and sits down on the far armchair.

"I wanted to, but Daniel has told me that these proceedings can take months" she clarifies as if that bothers him. "I'll be honest with you, I need a child, but without my father knowing it's by surrogate, he needs to know it's mine, no matter what and to top it off, he needs to believe that you and I are in a relationship" he says out loud making Arya feel butterflies in her stomach. "Fake of course. You don't have to come near me, or hug me, or kiss me, or anything like that. I don't tolerate contact, do you understand?"

Arya processes all that information and sums it up in her head.

"I understand, give him a son, be his lying girlfriend and never touch him," she resolves for both of them making him nod proud that he has understood. "I only have two questions, if you are the sperm donor, who will put the egg in? And the second, how much are you willing to offer?"

"I thought Daniel explained to you that you would also be the egg donor-as I said, I don't tolerate physical contact with anyone, that doesn't make me a good candidate with women, so the deal will be that in addition to the surrogate pregnancy, I will also be a donor The figure? I'll pay whatever I want."

The young woman is stunned by that. It's one thing to feel no bond, but donating eggs for the process means getting involved.

"I need to think about it," she clarifies. "I didn't think I'd have to be a mother so young, even if it means giving up our child completely. As for the amount, I appreciate you saying whatever you want, but this is a business. I'd like to think about it and also know a little more about the terms."

The way she says it, she makes it more than clear to him that this is difficult for her.

"Don't thank me, this is business, you want something from me, I want something from you," Ayden replies coldly, making Arya again raise her walls.

"You are right, this is business, and as such we must negotiate," she says, taking that serious attitude she tries to have. "How would this work? I live in Boston."

"I need you to move here, you'll have your room here, you can bring your mother if it suits you, I only come here to sleep," he warns downplaying the importance.

"Impossible, my mother can't know what I'll do, she's religious, she wouldn't forgive me" he clarifies. "Besides, I'm a senior in college, I was supposed to move to Germany on an exchange trip."

Ayden stands a bit frustrated with the situation, but thinks of a plan.

"Okay, he comes here, and I help him get settled in one of the best hospitals in town" he assures thinking of his younger brother. "I will take care of all the expenses, I will give him a monthly pension-his mother's and well, money is not a problem for me. I just want to know if he's going to meet my four conditions."

"I thought it was three" she deduces mentally reviewing the conversation.

"He will either give me a child, donate his eggs or well, I will buy them, just name your price" he resolves making her feel nothing to him. "You will pretend to be my partner living here, you will not touch me, and you will disappear from our lives, once my child is born, understood?"

Arya thinks about those words as if they were daggers piercing her heart.

"Can I think about it?"

"Not much, I don't have time to waste" she reminds them both and stands up opening the door for her to leave.

The young woman grabs her bag and walks to the door, it is more than clear that she is no longer a guest at the site.

"Thank you, I'll let her know, I have a lot to think about" she says stepping into the private elevator.

"Don't think too much, Miss Harley, it's just business." He holds out a card with his private number on it. "Let me know your answer, I'll be waiting."

With that said, the elevator closes and the last thing she sees is the cold stare of Ayden Emory.

☆ﾟ･*:.˛˚ღღﾟ~εïз~ ღღﾟ･*:｡.･*.･*.☆

The drive home had been sad, she would not only have to be a surrogate, but also a donor. Somehow that made her feel bad.

"If only there was a way to not have to do it" she thinks as she enters the hospital to take care of her mother for the rest of the afternoon.

The sound of machines wakes Arya up the next day, her mother is having a crisis again. So she is rushed into surgery.

"Miss Harley, if you don't have the money to pay in full, you can talk to our finance department about setting up a fixed payment contract," explains the daytime assistant. "For the time being, you should rest assured that your mom is out of danger and has to stay at least a week in the hospital."

The woman with dark hair and wide glasses explains to him in detail and clarity everything that has happened to his mother. An open-heart surgery, a coronary bypass and several blood transfusions are some of the things they did to her.

Arya feels palpitations blurring her vision, she feels like she is fading, she hasn't eaten properly in days and hasn't tasted food since a day before, and it was instant soup, zero nutritious.

"Wait" she asks the assistant and leaves the clinic to make that call she was so hesitant to make.

"My mother is very serious in the hospital, if I do this promise me that you will take care of all her expenses and that I will have everything just and necessary during the pregnancy and until she has her child. That's all I ask" she says as soon as Ayden picks up the call on her cell phone.

Ayden, who notices the genuine concern in the young woman, feels a little sorry for her.

"Done, I'll take care of all those expenses" he states confidently causing her to relax her body.

Arya feels like buying it, but the cost is worth it. Her mother will be fine.

"Understood, in return, you take care of my mother and her medical expenses and me during the pregnancy" she sums up so he doesn't say he didn't say anything.

"And her college and residency-"

"Okay, of that" he says downplaying it.

The only thing that matters to her is that her mother is healthy and well. It's the only thing that's really worth it to her, no matter the cost.

"Then it's a deal" Ayden declares over the cell phone.

"Deal" she replies with relief in her heart.

"I went from being a student to a mother of a son for the CEO" she thinks before fading away.

For her part, Ayden, under pressure from her father, wants to put her plan into action as soon as possible. He needs to keep up that facade of a relationship with young Arya and get to have a child.

It was not something he would have wanted, but it was something he needed if he was to succeed in keeping the family business.

He remembered his childhood, he didn't want anyone to go through what he went through. He was afraid to bring a child into the world, no matter what form this would take.

His musings were interrupted by a call from his brother.

"Hello" greets his brother scathingly.

"What do you want?" replies Ayden curtly, knowing full well that his brother is a fucker.

"Hello to you too, little brother. I'm so glad you called me, I miss you" he says in a fake voice and sarcastic tone.

Ayden feels his blood boil just hearing it. They have never gotten along, all thanks to her mother.

"You don't stop being stupid" he says viciously. "What do you want, robbed again?"

Ayden reminds him of that time when supposedly his account had been emptied, but in reality he had spent all his money on god knows what. Her father had to ask her to take money out of the family trust to pay him back some of what was supposedly stolen.

"I'm just speaking to tell you that my father has also made the same proposal to me as he has to you" he warns warily in an attempt to provoke his brother. "And I want to tell you that you're going to lose, I'll keep the company while you watch everything crumble before your eyes."

"You're a fucker, Mark!" he yells into the cell phone. Over my dead body, I'll let you ruin what my family has built.

"Our-our family!" he scolds.

Ayden hangs up the call before he says something he might regret. There are secrets he must keep for the sake of his father, himself and his despicable brother. The only thing he must take care of is that no one ever finds out and that Arya never asks.