The Surrogate He Discarded

Charlotte stepped out of the villa wearing a black two-piece swimsuit that left little to the imagination. The dark fabric contrasted sharply against her sun-kissed skin, drawing attention to her slender figure. With her hair cascading in soft waves down her back and a confident smile playing on her lips, she looked every bit the beautiful fiancée determined to claim her place at Kristoff’s side.

She had taken extra care with her appearance and choosing just enough makeup to enhance her natural beauty.

Trailing behind her were her two devoted companions, dressed in similarly revealing swimsuits. Their laughter drifted through the warm morning air as they descended the stone staircase winding down toward the beach.

”Kristoff!”

Charlotte’s cheerful voice carried across the shore.

She lifted both hands high and waving as though she hadn’t seen him in weeks.

The moment her voice reached him, Kristoff’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly.

He recognized that voice instantly. He had expected her to sleep in after being disturbed by the noise of the helicopter, not to come looking for him this early.

Beside him, Isobel turned toward the approaching group.

”Your fiancée is here,” she said.

Her tone was calm. Polite. Perfectly appropriate.

Her eyes lingered briefly on the neighboring villa before shifting back to the sea. The realization came unbidden.

Kristoff must have spent the night there. A strange heaviness settled in her chest.

She lowered her gaze, angry with herself for caring.

What did I expect? she thought bitterly. Charlotte is his fiancée. Where else would he spend the night?

The answer was obvious.

So why did it hurt?

A gust of wind swept across the beach, stirring her hair, but it did nothing to cool the sudden ache spreading through her chest. She hated how easily Charlotte’s presence unsettled her. Hated even more that she couldn’t seem to stop it.

Kristoff glanced at her.

To anyone else, Isobel appeared composed as ever. But he noticed the slight stiffness in her posture.

The way her fingers curled against her palm. The faint shadow that crossed her eyes before she looked away.

Tiny details that no one else would have seen, but he did.

His gaze darkened.

Even after all this time, Charlotte still had the ability to affect Isobel.

And for reasons he could not fully explain, he found that fact deeply unsettling.

At the same time, a surge of satisfaction stirred within Kristoff.

If Charlotte’s presence could still unsettle Isobel, then she had not become indifferent to him.

Isobel wanted nothing more than to leave with the twins before Charlotte and her companions reached them. She glanced toward the path, hoping to see Morgan and Kristine returning.

They were nowhere in sight.

She had no choice but to stay.

”Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?” Kristoff asked as Charlotte and the other two women approached.

”I woke up and couldn’t find you,” Charlotte replied, her voice deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear. ”How could I possibly go back to sleep?”

Before Kristoff could respond, she slipped her arms around his waist and rose on her toes to kiss his cheek. The affectionate gesture lingered just long enough to make its purpose unmistakable.

She was declaring ownership and marking her territory.

Isobel lowered her gaze.

Instead of looking at them, she focused on little Kat, gently smoothing the child’s damp curls and pretending to be completely absorbed in the little girl. She refused to give Charlotte the satisfaction of seeing her reaction.

”Charlotte,” Phoebe said, her eyes settling on Isobel, ” Do you know them? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Her gaze swept over Isobel from head to toe.

The white cover-up she wore over her swimsuit was soaked from the sea, the thin fabric clinging to her body and turning almost transparent. Beneath it, the outline of her black swimsuit was unmistakable, accentuating her graceful figure instead of concealing it.

A flicker of jealousy crossed Phoebe’s eyes.

She had always prided herself on her beauty and disliked any woman who threatened to outshine her—except Charlotte, whom she had long accepted as the prettier of the two.

But the woman standing before her was different.

Isobel possessed a quiet, effortless beauty that demanded attention without trying. Her delicate features, luminous skin, and elegant figure were so striking that even Phoebe found it difficult to look away.

”She looks familiar,” Shania said, narrowing her eyes at Isobel. A slow, mocking smile curved her lips. ”Isn’t she the woman who made all the headlines yesterday?”

”The one accused of trying to seduce Morgan Foster?”

A heavy silence settled over the group.

”Charlotte, tell your friend to watch her words,” Kristoff said, his voice low and firm.

His gaze rested coldly on Shania. He knew some of Charlotte’s friends, but Shania was a stranger to him. That made her boldness all the more irritating.

Shania merely shrugged.

”Kristoff,” she said casually, addressing him with the familiarity of an old friend, ”I’m only repeating what was trending yesterday. Surely I’m not the only one who saw it.”

Beside Ella, Isobel had been crouching to play with little Kat. At Shania’s words, she slowly rose to her feet and met the woman’s gaze without flinching.

Her eyes were calm, but there was steel beneath their quiet surface.

”Do not slander me, Miss,” Isobel said evenly. ”Mr. Foster has already issued a public statement clearing my name. If you care about the truth as much as you seem to care about gossip, you can read Aioryx’s official response.”

Though her voice remained controlled, every word carried a quiet edge that left no doubt she would not tolerate another insult.

Shania let out a derisive laugh.

”Slander?” she echoed. ”Then explain this. You’re spending time on the beach right in front of Morgan Foster’s beach house. If the rumors aren’t true, what are you doing here?”

”You’ve said enough.”

Kristoff’s voice cracked through the morning air like a whip.

The sharpness of his tone stunned everyone into silence.

Shania’s smirk faltered.

Phoebe instinctively took a step back.

Even Charlotte stared at him in disbelief.

She had never heard Kristoff raise his voice at anyone on her behalf—let alone at one of her friends.

”Kris...” Charlotte’s brows knitted together as hurt flashed across her face. ”Why are you defending her? Shania only pointed out what’s obvious.”