"I told you to find me a surrogate! I don't like these three ladies… I don't think they're fit or healthy enough,"
Luca snapped, his voice sharp as glass.
He stood behind his sleek black desk, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed at the glossy profiles spread across the surface. Models. Socialites. Women with perfect smiles and curated lives. And yet, none of them felt right.
"Sir…" Brittany began, her voice steady but cautious. She was used to his moods, but today he was particularly volatile.
"Please calm down. We can get more candidates for you to choose from. There's no need to rush…"
"I'm not rushing," Luca cut in, turning toward the window. His reflection stared back at him—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a charcoal suit that cost more than most people's rent.
"I'm being precise. I want someone healthy. Discreet. No drama. No fame-chasing. And no emotional baggage."
Brittany hesitated.
"With respect, sir… you're asking for a unicorn."
Luca turned, one brow raised.
"Then find me one."
A tense silence filled the room. Brittany gathered the folders, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor.
"There is one more applicant," she said slowly.
"She's… unconventional. Young. A student. No experience. But her medical profile is flawless. And she's… well, she's a virgin."
Luca's gaze snapped to her.
"A virgin?"
"Yes. She applied through the private channel. No publicity. No strings."
Luca leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
"Send her in."
Brittany blinked.
"Now?"
"Now."
The door opened with a soft click.
Elena Hart stepped into the room, her posture straight despite the storm of nerves swirling in her chest. Her long dark hair was pulled into a low ponytail, her simple blouse tucked neatly into a modest skirt. No makeup, no designer labels—just quiet elegance and clear, intelligent eyes.
She looked around the office, taking in the floor-to-ceiling windows, the polished marble floors, the man seated behind the desk.
Luca Moretti.
He didn't stand. He didn't smile. He simply studied her like a puzzle he hadn't decided whether to solve.
"You're Elena Hart?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," she replied, her voice soft but steady.
Brittany gave her a reassuring nod before slipping out, leaving the two alone.
Luca gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."
Elena obeyed, smoothing her skirt as she lowered herself into the seat. Her hands rested in her lap, fingers laced tightly.
"You've read the terms?" he asked.
"I have."
"And you're comfortable with them?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
Luca leaned forward slightly, elbows on the desk. "You're a student. No prior pregnancies. No romantic history. No complications. Why this?"
Elena met his gaze. "Because I can."
He tilted his head, intrigued. "You're aware this isn't a typical arrangement. I don't want clinics. I don't want donors. I want a child conceived naturally. That's not negotiable."
"I understand," she said.
"And you're still willing?"
Elena hesitated for the first time. Her heart pounded. But her voice didn't waver.
"Yes."
Luca's eyes narrowed, searching her face for cracks. There were none.
He stood, walked around the desk, and stopped just in front of her. Tall. Imposing. Immaculate.
"You're not what I expected," he said.
Elena looked up at him.
Luca returned to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a sleek black folder. He placed it on the polished surface between them with quiet precision.
"This is the contract," he said, his tone cool and deliberate. "It outlines the terms—medical coverage, living arrangements, compensation, and legal boundaries."
Elena leaned forward slightly, her eyes scanning the folder but not touching it. "Boundaries?"
"There will be no physical relationship," Luca said. "The child will be conceived through IVF."
She tilted her head. "So…no sex right?"
"No," he replied. "My sperm will be used."
Elena froze. "And the eggs?"
"Yours."
Her breath caught. She stared at him, stunned. "You want me to have my own child… with you… and give it away for money?"
Luca didn't blink. "Yes."
She let out a short, bitter laugh. "That's not surrogacy. That's—" she shook her head, "—that's giving away my own flesh and blood."
"It's a choice," Luca said evenly. "One you're free to decline."
Elena stood, her chair scraping softly against the marble floor. "You want me to carry a child that's biologically mine and yours, and then just… hand it over?"
"You'll be compensated generously," he said. "Half a million dollars. Private healthcare. A secure residence. No obligations after birth."
She stared at him, voice low and sharp. "You think that makes it easier?"
"I think it makes it possible."
Elena's jaw tightened. "Why not use someone else's eggs?"
"I don't want someone else's child," Luca said. "I want yours."
Silence fell between them like a dropped curtain.
Finally, Elena spoke, her voice quieter but laced with fire. "And what happens to the child?"
"They'll be raised with every advantage," Luca said. "Loved. Protected."
"By strangers," she said.
"By me," he replied.
Elena's eyes narrowed. "You want a child. But not a partner. Not a mother. Just a vessel."
Luca's gaze didn't waver. "I want a legacy. One I can trust."
Elena's fingers hovered over the contract, her heart pounding in her chest. She looked up at Luca—calm, unreadable, powerful—and something inside her twisted.
"I don't think I can do this," she whispered.
Luca didn't move. He simply watched her, as if waiting for her to unravel.
Elena stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. She turned and walked out of the office, her heels clicking down the hallway, each step echoing louder than the last.
Outside the office, the air felt colder. The city beyond the glass walls blurred in motion, but her thoughts were frozen.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to breathe.
Then it hit her.
A memory.
Her father, pale and weak, lying in a hospital bed. Tubes in his arms. Machines beeping softly. His eyes barely open.
The doctor's voice had been firm, almost apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hart. We can't proceed with treatment until the outstanding bills are cleared. We've already extended the grace period."
She had nodded, numb. She had promised to find a way.
Now, standing in the hallway of a billionaire's empire, she realized this was the way.
Her throat tightened. Her eyes burned. And without another thought, she turned on her heel and rushed back toward the office.
She didn't knock.
She pushed the door open, breathless, her voice trembling but clear.
"Mr. Luca… I will be your surrogate."
Luca looked up slowly, his expression unreadable. But something flickered in his eyes—approval, maybe. Or curiosity.
Elena stepped forward, her hands clenched at her sides.
"I'll sign the contract. I'll do it."
The office was silent, save for the soft hum of the rain against the windows.
Elena sat across from Luca once again, the black folder open in front of her. The contract lay neatly inside—pages of legal language, clauses, and conditions. Her eyes skimmed the words, but her mind was elsewhere.
Her father. The machines. The doctor's voice.
She picked up the pen.
Luca watched her, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp. "You've read everything?"
"I've read enough," she said quietly.
"You understand what you're agreeing to?"
"I do."
"No parental rights. No claim to the child. Full confidentiality. You'll live in my property until the birth. You'll be monitored by my team."
Elena nodded. "I understand."
Luca leaned forward slightly. "Once you sign, there's no turning back."
She hesitated for half a second, then pressed the pen to the paper.
Her signature flowed across the line—elegant, final.
She set the pen down and looked up at him. "It's done."
Luca closed the folder and slid it back into the drawer. "You'll be moved into the estate tomorrow. Brittany will handle the logistics."
Elena stood, her hands trembling slightly. "Will I see you there?"
Luca's eyes met hers. "Only when necessary."
She nodded, turned toward the door, then paused.
"I'm doing this for my father," she said.
Luca's voice was quiet. "And I'm doing this for my future."