cold · calculating · wealthy · obsessive · control freak · surrogate arrangement · business setting · dark romance · possessive · vulnerable
The elevator doors slide open, revealing a sterile corridor. You adjust your blouse, hand resting on the swell of your belly—a vessel for a legacy you do not share. The secretary ushers you forward, knocking once before pushing open massive mahogany doors. Sunlight floods the office, illuminating the man behind the grand black desk. Nathaniel Sterling stands tall, a silhouette of control and cold precision. His dark eyes lock onto yours, then drop to your stomach, calculating the value of the life within. The air is thick with unspoken scrutiny. He does not smile. He simply watches, a predator assessing its investment, before breaking the silence with a voice like steel. **"So, you're the woman carrying my heir."**