Selene's POV
The room was dead silent.Carlos's exact mirror image except for that wicked, knowing smirk tilted his head,his eyes sliding over me from head to bare feet like I was a painting he was deciding whether to buy or burn.
Carlos moved first. One step forward, positioning himself half between me and his brother.
"Not tonight, Alejandro."
Alejandro's smirk widened. "Come on, baby brother. Introduce me to your new acquisition."
The word hit like a slap and I opened my mouth before I could stop myself. "I'm not a thing."
Alejandro's gaze snapped to me, surprise flickering for half a second before melting back into amusement. "Oh, she speaks. And she has teeth. I like that."
He took a casual step into the room, hands still in his pockets. "Better than the last one who cried after the first night. You remember her, Carlos? The model? Couldn't handle the paperwork."
Carlos's jaw clenched so hard I heard the faint click of teeth. "Enough."
Alejandro laughed like they were trading jokes over drinks instead of standing in a room thick with threat. "Relax. I'm just saying hello to your new fiancée I suppose?. She looks fresh."
His eyes lingered on the wet ends of my hair, the too-big sweater down to my bare feet. "Didn't even let her change out of last night's dress? That's brutal, even for you."
"Leave," Carlos said, the word flat and final.
Alejandro raised both hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll behave." He turned his attention back to me, smile turning almost charming. "I'm Alejandro. The older, better-looking Rodriguez. Nice to meet you, Selene. Or should I call you sister-in-law already?"
I didn't answer. My throat was locked tight.How the hell does he know my name?
Carlos stepped fully between us now. "I said leave."
Alejandro shrugged, still grinning. "Suit yourself. But don't forget, the clock's ticking. Dad's will doesn't care about feelings or pretty faces. See you at the gala, fiancée." He winked at me then turned on his heel and made his way down the hallway like he owned every inch of the place.
The echo of his footsteps faded.
Carlos exhaled through his nose, shoulders still rigid. He didn't look at me when he spoke. "Go to your room."
I didn't move. "That was your brother? How come I have never heard of him?"
"Yes." He finally turned, eyes dark. "It was better that way, otherwise he'll use you against me."
"So I'm bait now?" My voice cracked on the last word. " What the hell is going on?"
"You're my leverage." He said it quietly, almost gently. "You need to bear me a child so I can get my father's inheritance.Now you have to avoid him at all costs,that's how you survive this."
I stared at him trying to digest what I just heard. " So..I'm just a baby farm then. But why do you make it sound like a war?"
"It is." He looked away first. "Go upstairs. Rest. The fertility check is at nine tomorrow and you'll need your strength."
He walked past me without another word.
I stood there for a long moment, listening to the house settle around me—the distant hum of the ocean, the faint tick of a clock somewhere in the foyer, the silence where Alejandro's laughter had been.
Then I turned and climbed the stairs to my suite on legs that felt like they might give out at any second.
The room was exactly as I'd left it but I had a feeling someone had been in here while I was downstairs. The thought made my skin crawl.
I locked the door behind me, even though I knew it wouldn't matter. Nothing in this house was really mine.
I sank onto the edge of the bed and pulled my phone from the sweater pocket. My hands shook as I opened the hospital app.
Elena Hayes – Patient Status Update
Surgery completed successfully at 4:12 a.m.
Patient stable. Moved to VIP suite.
The next dialysis session is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
Estimated full recovery timeline: 6–8 weeks with continued specialist care.
A sob tore out of me before I could stop it.
She was alive. She was going to be okay.
And I had bought her life with a signature. With my body. With a child I would carry and never hold.
I curled into a ball on the bed, knees to chest, and cried. My eyes burning from the hot tears.
I didn't hear the knock at first.
It came again, almost hesitant.
I wiped my face on the sleeve of the sweater and sat up. "Who is it?"
There was silence at first then Carlos's voice, low through the door. "Open it."
My heart stuttered. I stood, legs unsteady, and turned the lock. The door opened a crack.
He stood in the hallway, still in his dark shirt and trousers, hair slightly mussed like he'd run his hands through it. The hall light cast shadows under his eyes.
He didn't step inside. Just looked at me.
"You're crying."
I let out a broken, ugly sound which was supposed to be a laugh. "What do you think?."
He didn't move. "The hospital called me. The surgery went well."
"I know." I wiped my cheeks again. "Thank you. For paying."
He nodded once. "You don't need to thank me. It's part of the contract."
"Right." I wrapped my arms around myself. "Everything is part of the contract."
He studied me for a long moment. "You think I enjoy this?"
The question caught me off guard. I blinked. "You don't?"
"No." The word was quiet. "But I don't have a choice either."
I stared at him. "You're the one who wrote the contract. You're the one who needs the heir."
"And you're the one who signed it." He looked away, jaw tight. "We're both trapped. In different cages but with the same lock."
I swallowed. "Then why does it feel like yours is the bigger one?"
He didn't answer right away. When he spoke, his voice was so low I almost missed it.
"Because I know what it costs to lose everything."
The words hung between us.
I wanted to ask what he meant. Wanted to push, to crack that iron wall he kept up. But the exhaustion hit me all at once.
"I'm tired," I whispered.
He nodded. "Then sleep. Tomorrow is the clinic. After that… the gala. You'll need to smile for the cameras."
I laughed again, bitter. "Smile. Right. I'll practice."
He turned to leave, then paused. "Selene."
I looked up.
"Lock the door behind me."
I did.
The click echoed in the quiet room.
I crawled under the silk sheets, pulled the covers over my head and put the key under a pillow for safekeeping.
Sleep didn't come easily.
When it did, it was restless—flashes of Mum's face, the hospital beeping, Carlos's hand on my hip, Alejandro's smirk and the contract ink bleeding across the page.
Somewhere in the dark, I thought I heard footsteps outside my door again.
And suddenly the lock began to click from behind.I jumped up from the bed and grabbed the night stand, hoping to nab whomever it is that was coming in.
The door finally slid open gently.
"Alejandro?!!"