[Alistair's POV]
As soon as I got home, I slammed the door shut.
Bang!
The loud noise made the whole villa shake.
I turned around and stared hard at Lilith, who was standing in the middle of the living room.
"He said it. He wants an heir."
I spoke through gritted teeth.
"Get pregnant with his child—then we talk marriage."
Lilith's face was even paler than it was in James's office.
She kept her head down. She didn't even dare to look at me.
"I asked you a question!" The anger rushed straight to my head. "Did you hear me?"
Her shoulders trembled. Her voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.
"Dad, I…"
"I can't get pregnant."
The living room went silent. I could hear the clock ticking.
A few seconds passed. My brain buzzed. I went completely blank.
I rushed forward, raised my arm, and slapped her across the face.
Smack!
The sound echoed through the room.
"What did you say?" I shouted. "Say it again!"
Lilith covered her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
She cried as she repeated the words.
"I can't have children."
It was over.
Everything was over.
The Black family's future. The deal with the Watson Group. My comeback.
All of it—gone.
Because of this useless girl!
"Alistair, what's going on? Why are you so angry?"
Vanessa walked down the stairs in a silk robe.
She was my second wife.
She came to Lilith's side and gently touched her swollen cheek.
"Oh no, why would you hit her? Whatever she did, talk to her properly."
She was saying all the right things, but her eyes were watching me carefully, calculating something.
I didn't bother answering her fake concern.
I pointed at Lilith and shouted.
"She ruined everything! She's worthless!"
Vanessa helped Lilith sit on the couch. Her tone stayed calm and soft.
"Tell me what happened, Lilith. Tell your mom."
Lilith cried as she explained everything.
Vanessa listened, then sighed long and hard. She turned to me.
"Alistair… what are we going to do?"
"James made it clear. He wants a child. We can't let him know Lilith can't…"
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.
If the truth got out, not only would the marriage deal fall apart, our family would become a joke in high society.
Vanessa gently patted Lilith's back, comforting her, but her eyes drifted toward me.
"Actually… maybe we do have a solution."
She lowered her voice, almost talking to herself.
"James wants a child with Black blood. A child to inherit his empire."
"Lilith can't… but don't you have another daughter?"
Rose.
Just hearing that name made my nerves twitch.
The same girl who dared to ask me for a million dollars in the hotel that night.
Vanessa saw that I didn't respond and kept going.
"Rose just graduated, didn't she? She's young. Healthy. Smart. If… I mean, if she's willing to help…"
"You mean surrogacy?" I said the words without thinking.
"Shhh—" Vanessa raised a finger to her lips.
"Don't say it like that. This is for the good of the family. Lilith will still be James's legal wife. Once the child is born, we register it under Lilith's name. Problem solved."
Her words hit me hard. One after another.
It was like finding water in a desert.
Right.
It's just borrowing her body for a while.
If it meant securing the Watson deal, what was Rose worth anyway?
I gave her life. She owes me.
I looked at Lilith.
She was still crying softly, but now… I saw something else in her eyes.
Hatred.
She hated me. She hated Rose.
That was enough.
Vanessa grabbed my hand. Her fingers were cold.
"Alistair, we can't wait. That girl has a temper. She won't agree easily. We need a plan. Something she can't say no to."
Right.
I knew her temper. Too proud. Too stubborn.
If we told her directly, she'd say no. Maybe even go public.
I needed leverage.
Something to make her shut up and obey.
I pulled out my phone and opened the file my assistant had sent on Rose.
She looked just like Lilith in the photo—but the eyes were different.
Defiant. Sharp. I didn't like that.
I kept scrolling. Then I saw her mother's information.
The woman I divorced. The one who's been struggling to survive ever since.
Celeste Lang.
Rose's only weakness.
A cold smile finally formed on my lips.
I stepped out onto the balcony and made a call.
It connected quickly.
"It's me." My voice was cold, emotionless.
"Find a woman named Celeste Lang. I want everything. Address, job, where she goes every day, who she meets."
"And then… take care of something for me."
"Keep it clean."