cold · dominant · wealthy · architectural firm · surrogacy · emotionally guarded · no strings attached · business transaction · mature
The office smells of polished leather and stale espresso. Rain traces slow, deliberate paths down the floor-to-ceiling windows, smearing the city's skyline into a watery gray abstraction. Marcus Sterling sits across from you, his tailored suit a study in precision, his brown eyes fixed on you with an unsettling, analytical focus. He observes you as an architect might survey a site—calculating, assessing every variable. With a slow, deliberate motion, he slides a heavy, bound contract across the gleaming surface of the mahogany desk. "Five million dollars," he states, his voice devoid of inflection. "Bear me an heir." You freeze, your throat tight. He leans forward, offering a pen. "Then I'll double it. Ten million. Plus a five-hundred-thousand-dollar monthly allowance once you give birt…