Two Billionaire Brothers! And A Surrogate

Cassie didn't see the slap coming. She felt the force push her backwards and her face twisted in agony as she struggled to keep her balance.

"You do not reply to me with questions bitch!". The man who had just delivered the hot slap didn't even look like he had just hurt her. He had a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Enough! Bring her to me!" a loud voice commanded from the other side of the room.

Cassie felt strong hands grab her by her shoulders as she screamed in fear.

"I am sorry! Please let me go!" She begged, tears streaming down her face as she tried but failed to resist being dragged to the huge terrifying man in front of her.

"I will pay you. I promise....I will pay every penny back!" Her voice echoed through the near empty room.

The huge man flung her to the hard floor and she fell to her knees clutching her bag and shivering.

Frank Jobs; her biggest nightmare and the reason her father lay dead, pulled roughly on her hair and raised her to face him.

"I don't like excuses very much honey bear" he drawled, a wicked smile spreading all over his face.

Cassie stood before him trembling. She could hear her heart beating furiously in her chest and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking or the tears from flowing. The man before her was the source of her greatest pain.

Even though the police told her that her father suffered a heart attack and died in detention, she knew Frank Jobs was behind his death. Her father's gambling issues had finally brought her family to ruin. A man like Frank Jobs wasn't the type to forgive a debt.

He had continuously terrorized her family ever since her father failed to meet up with their agreement.

His eyes scanned her face and brightened with satisfaction as she shook before him and choked on her tears.

"Your father owes me a lot of money." His hands moved quickly from her hair to her neck and held her in a tight grip. "Do you know how much?"

Cassie shook her head vigorously, blinking rapidly and trying to stop his hands from strangling her. He laughed loudly and turned to his men standing across the room.

"She doesn't know! Awwww ... .honey" his voice dripping with mockery. But then, he suddenly stopped laughing and let her go with such force that she staggered back completely stunned to silence.

"You have 1 year to pay me my money. 200 thousand dollars, no more, no less or else...!"

He paused as if he had suddenly remembered something important. He reached for his phone in his suit, scrolled for a little while and turned the phone to her.

Cassie gasped in shock " No! No! Please! Please!"....

Her sister Maya's picture flashed clearly before her. Her only sister. The only family she had left.

"No!! I beg you!" She screamed reaching for the phone as if to save her sister but Frank visibly enjoying her pain snatched it away quickly, laughing loudly.

Something in her snapped at that very moment.

She glared at him, blinded by the tears covering her eyes and face. He saw her expression change and his face darkened with a strange psychotic expression daring her to say a word of protest.

"Oh don't worry...I won't kill her. Not immediately. I will make her work for my money first".

He stared deeply into her eyes and smiled as he watched the meaning of his words dawn on her. "She is young and beautiful. Perfect candy for the right pric...."

"Nooo!!! No! I will pay you in one year. You can not touch my sister!" Cassie screamed falling back to the floor helplessly.

"You have one year Cassie Barns, remember that" he replied chuckling.

"You cannot touch my sister. You cannot touch my sister" Cassie continued to chant the words as Frank's henchmen dragged her blindfolded through his dungeon into their minivan and through the city.

She chanted the words with tears flowing freely down her cheeks as they pushed her out of the moving van onto the front of her apartment complex.

She kept chanting as she knelt right there in the street until they drove away and she didn't stop as she made her way into her shabby apartment and crumbled to the floor. She slept off while repeating the words, dreaming of her sister and her father, his calm face in death haunting her dreams.

She woke with a start the next morning Frank's threat repeatedly echoing in her head as she rushed to dress up for work. She struggled to smile as she walked through the doors of the Scott Medical Towers where she worked as a cleaner.

"Good morning Dr. Dan"

"Good morning Ma'am" She greeted the doctors and patients with a big smile on her face.

She kept the smile in place as she went from office to office and from room to room, clearing the trash and mopping the floors. She barely acknowledged anyone else as she kept having flashbacks from her encounter with Frank the night before.

"Cassie! Be careful!" Linda's voice filled with concern called out to her, jolting her back to reality.

She realized she was just about to walk straight into a glass door and quickly retraced her steps.

"Oh, I am sorry"

Linda moved closer to her, her face full of concern "You have been really distant today. Are you okay girl?" Linda was a nice lady but Cassie wasn't used to sharing her personal life with others.

"I am alright, thank you" she replied quickly, keeping her head down as she walked away. She sighed deeply in relief when Linda didn't follow her to ask more questions.

"Good morning Dr. Kim" she greeted cheerfully with a bright fake smile plastered on her face. The older lady who was always in a hurry responded with a nod and continued on her way to the elevator ahead.

Cassie continued her cleaning but then quickly noticed that a small flyer had fallen from Dr. Kim's ward coat pocket.

"Dr. Kim, your..." Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the words on the flyer.

She raised her head to see that Dr. Kim hadn't heard her and had gone up in the elevator.

She returned her attention once again to the flyer and as she read through, her eyes widened in shock.

She had heard about Surrogacy agencies before, after all, she worked in a hospital but this was different.

"Executive surrogate?". Her eyes quickly scanned the short flyer. They were offering a whooping 1 million dollars to surrogates. "How!?"

Cassie quickly looked around to be sure nobody was nearby.

She quickly pushed the flyer into her pocket and continued working.

At the end of her shift, she settled in a corner of the changing room and went through the flyer again.

"What are you reading?" Someone asked behind her and Cassie felt her heart skip a beat.

She jumped up quickly, hiding the flyer behind her back. She looked up to realize it was Linda behind her

"It's okay, I don't really want to see". She looked amused. "Was just checking to see if you were doing alright. I am on my way home".

Cassie saw the genuine worry in her eyes and relaxed a bit "Thank you Linda". The lady took it as a sign not to probe further so she nodded and turned to leave the room.

"Wait....." Cassie called out to her. She hesitated but Linda stood watching her calmly, waiting patiently. Maybe she could share her thoughts with someone.

Linda had always been nice to her but Cassie had never made a real friend since high school. She moved alone, fought her battles alone. But this was too much.

"Do you think I could.... you know....do you think it is a good idea to be....to be a surrogate?" She asked, stammering.

Linda was silent for a while. Her face showed no emotion but she kept her gaze on Cassie, her kind grey eyes searching her face.

"You can forget I asked," Cassie said quickly, hoping to end the awkward silence.

"Is that why you are so absent minded?" She met Cassie's eyes but Cassie lowered her head. She then walked over and sat down on the long bench beside her. Cassie sat down as well and turned to her eagerly.

"Do you want to be a surrogate?" Linda asked, lowering her voice, suddenly aware of the fact that anyone could walk in and hear their conversation.

Cassie slowly brought out the flyer and handed it over to her. She watched quietly as Linda went through it.

"I have seen this before...." she murmured. Her eyes narrowed and she had a strange brooding expression as she read through the flyer.

She looked up at Cassie and then up at the wall clock behind her "Are you hungry?" The question took Cassie by surprise.

"I don't understand why...." She searched Linda's face for some kind of clue. Linda stood quickly, adjusted her dress and pulled Cassie up to join her "We can't talk here..."

*******

Zander couldn't sit still in Dr. Kim's office. He stood and paced trying to control himself. "Why is it taking so long?"

His perfect fitting suit and tie suddenly felt too tight and the room felt hotter. He turned around immediately as the door opened and Dr. Kim walked into the office.

"Hello Zee. I am sorry you had to wait a while" Zander gave her a soft smile. Only two people in the entire world called him Zee; his auntie, Dr. Kim and his mother.

"It's alright Auntie" he replied calmly as he moved to take his seat.

Dr. Kim had that sad expression he had come to know so well but he hunched over the desk with clasped hands, looking directly in her eyes. "So...have you found one yet?"

"I am sorry Zee, we haven't found what you're looking for....yet" She reached for his hands and winced as he pulled them away.

"It is taking too long. You promised me" Zander ruffled his hair in frustration.

"I know how much this means to you Zee but..."

"Do you? Do you really know?" He replied, cutting her off. Her eyes clouded over with guilt and she fell back into her seat looking defeated.

He felt bad. Of all people, his auntie knew just how much this meant to him. He spoke again in a softer tone, "It means that a part of Laurie, a living and breathing part of her, can still be with me."

"I know Zee and believe me, I understand but finding a first time surrogate who is willing to agree to all your requirements is not an easy task"

"I don't want anything less. My requirements are reasonable enough" He replied. She knew that look on his face too well. He wasn't going to relax his rules or adjust his criteria for a surrogate.

"This baby will be my only child with Laurie. He or she will be my light in the darkness. Everything must be perfect" He stood again with his hands in his pockets and began to pace around the room.

"You're asking for a first time surrogate between the ages of 23-26 with no boyfriend or husband and who will agree not to have any relationship till the baby is born..."

He kept pacing very slowly, his jaw set and his mouth pressed into a thin line. "You are telling me things I already know"

"I drafted the requirements myself". But he listened to her anyway.

Dr. Kim cleared her throat, adjusted her reading glasses and continued, her voice growing stronger with the frustration she felt.

"She must live in your house, must agree to exclusively breastfeed, participate in every physical activity curated specially for her while pregnant, she must be on a specific diet designed by your nutritionist...Zee, you realize I am in a tight spot here" She threw up her both hands in the air in frustration but he didn't stop pacing.

"They are perfectly fine requirements. I will be paying for everything. She will be compensated greatly" he replied calmly.

"You also want a DND and a contract never to contact you or the child ever again when everything is done"

"Exactly" Zander replied as he continued without breaking his steps.

"I will get it done Zee...Stop pacing will you? I will get it done but it will take some time".

"You are so stubborn" she muttered under her breath hoping that he didn't hear them she sat up, smiling softly as she moved to change the topic

"How is therapy going?"

"Excuse me Ma'am"

Dr. Kim looked up at her receptionist who had suddenly walked into the office wearing a confused frown.

"I am sorry but there's a young woman out here asking to see you even without an appointment. She says it's something about a surrogacy agency....."

Dr. Kim didn't realize it but Zander had stopped pacing. "I do not think she is in the right place, there is no...." she tried to reply.

"Send her in" Zander responded sharply startling them.

Linda let Cassie into her small apartment "Maybe we should talk over some warm food". She dropped her work bag on the countertop and proceeded to wash her hands. Cassie joined her and they talked as they cooked.

"Have you thought about this? Pregnancy changes your life. It is not a chapter you can easily delete from a draft"

"I am just considering it" Cassie replied accepting the ladle from Linda to taste the soup.

They sat on the tall tables around the counter as they talked. "Why exactly are you doing this?" Linda asked. Her grey eyes searched Cassie's face. Cassie's eyes never left the bowl of chicken soup before her.

"I need the money"

Linda must have heard the crack in her voice as she fought back tears because she didn't ask further questions.

"Whatever battle you're fighting must be worth the huge sacrifice Cassie"

"Dr. Kim will see you now Ma'am....Ma'am?"

Cassie was jolted back to reality. She was sitting in front of Dr. Kim's office. The flyer felt like a heavy rock in the pocket of her jeans.

"Yes, thank you"

She jumped up and followed the receptionist into the office wondering if she was making the right decision.

Dr. Kim wasn't alone. A man who seemed like a very important person sat in front of her. He didn't say a word or acknowledge her in anyway but his presence dominated the room.

"Umm, good day Dr. Kim"

Dr. Kim took a quick glance at her and raised her brows in surprise. "Cassie?"

Her eyes were a mixture of surprise and anxiety as she stared at the flier in Cassie's hands.

"How do you have that?"

Cassie wasn't sure if she was in trouble but she had to try.

"I just want to apply, Dr. Kim. I promise I won't cause any trouble".

Dr. Kim shifted uncomfortably in her seat and opened her mouth to reply.

"Have you ever been pregnant?"

She turned to where the question came from. She had noticed him the moment she stepped into the room but was too desperate to pay attention to him.

But now, as he directed his cool gaze at her, she felt her heart drop in her stomach and the room suddenly felt too small.

"No.." she stammered looking from him to Dr. Kim in confusion.

"Sit down".

He said it in such a simple tone that told her that this man was used to giving orders and having the final say. She moved to the closest seat and settled down clasping her hands in front of her.

Dr. Kim waited till she was seated before she turned to him. "Zee...."

He didn't let her finish "Explore all options. I have to be in a meeting in 20 minutes" and with that he was on his way out.

She turned to Cassie and adjusted her glasses as if to get a clearer look at her.

"I am very surprised to find this flier in your possession. The executive surrogacy agency tends to maintain a very low profile" She cleared her throat and continued.

"Our clients are high profile and have very specific ermm ...requirements..." She stared at Cassie for a minute with a look that told her that these clients were powerful people and not easy to please.

"I have been the head of the medical team for 15years and this is the first time anybody has approached me like this."

Cassie hoped she wouldn't send her away.

But then Dr. Kim launched into a long series of questions.

By the end of her meeting with Dr. Kim, Cassie felt like she had written her life story and handed it to someone to publish.

"I believe we will meet again Miss Cassie" Dr. Kim said as she shook her hands while handing over her card. "Call me if you have any questions. You must fill the forms I have sent to your email in the next 48hrs and be back for a follow-up meeting next week, how does that sound?"

"Yes...yes of course" Cassie replied trying to keep her smile on her face to hide the battle raging in her mind. As soon as she left the hospital premises, she got on a bus and went to find Linda.

They sat again in Linda's small kitchen as Linda tried to make a sandwich. It had become their little meeting spot

"You're not saying anything," Cassie asked, watching her expression with anxious eyes.

"There isn't much to say...I am just worried about you. Are you sure about this?" Linda asked.

"It may be my only chance. I cannot let them hurt her..." Cassie realized what she was about to say and went silent. Linda looked up from the lettuce she was shredding and gave her a weak smile

"You can trust me Cassie but you don't have to tell me why you're doing this. Just be careful" She pleaded. Cassie nodded.

"Rich people can be a lot to deal with. But you should be more worried about protecting yourself. Do not let anyone take advantage of you" Linda said, handing her a sandwich "Be careful Cassie" she warned.

"I will...I promise"

She had become fond of Linda. Maybe she had found a friend, a real friend. A friend she could run to when she needed advice or encouragement.

"Have you ever been pregnant?" Cassie asked and when Linda stayed quiet she quickly added "I am sorry if it was inappropriate"

Linda looked up, her expression distant "I had a baby girl, once. I was young. It was a great responsibility and I got scared".

She took a sip of water and continued "I gave her away to a lovely family who moved with her to France. I never saw her again"

"Do you regret giving her away?" Cassie asked.

"Sometimes I do." Linda replied, her voice heavy with emotion.

She turned to face Cassie, a deep sadness clouding her eyes "You will always give a part of you away with every child you carry in your womb. You must be ready to let go when it is time and make peace with it no matter what."

Cassie wasn't sure she understood what Linda meant but she thought about it all through her walk back home.

A familiar black mini van stood by the street in front of her apartment as she came home. Frank....It had to be his men again. She rushed up the stairs to her apartment and met the door wide open.