The Surrogate He Discarded

Who helped her?

Was it Morgan Foster?

Or was it Kristoff Dalton?

Richard let the names linger in his mind, weighing each possibility. In the end, Kristoff seemed more likely. After all, it was Kristoff whose reputation had been dragged through the mud when the scandal erupted.

Every headline, every rumor, every whisper had pointed in his direction. If someone had orchestrated the entire affair, Kristoff had certainly paid the highest price.

Instead of returning to the Learson mansion, Richard drove to his penthouse.

The moment he stepped inside the sleek, modern penthouse, a quiet sense of relief settled over him. The silence felt welcoming rather than oppressive. Here, every corner belonged to him. Every decision was his own.

The Learson mansion, on the other hand, was a gilded prison.

No matter how grand its marble halls or how luxurious its furnishings, every visit left him feeling as though invisible chains had been wrapped around his neck. The walls carried expectations, obligations, and memories he would rather forget.

Ever since his aunt had taken him from the orphanage, she had controlled every aspect of his life.

To the outside world, she was known as the Iron Lady of Shangville—a woman whose sharp business instincts and ruthless determination had built the Learson empire into an unstoppable force. Competitors feared her. Investors respected her. Few ever saw the woman beneath the icy exterior.

Perhaps grief had shaped her into the person she had become.

Years ago, during the conflict that nearly destroyed the Learson family, she had lost both her husband and her eldest son, just as Richard lost his parents.

The tragedy had left scars that never truly healed. All she had left were her two young daughters, who were the same age as Isobel.

Desperate to preserve the legacy her parents and grandparents had sacrificed everything to build, she searched for Richard—the last suitable heir bearing the Learson bloodline.

She didn’t simply bring him home.

She molded him.

From the time he was found, every lesson, every schedule, every relationship, and every decision had been carefully orchestrated. He was trained to think like a Learson, act like a Learson, and one day rule the empire that generations of his family had protected with their lives.

To his aunt, the Learson empire was worth any sacrifice...even Richard’s freedom.

But time had changed him.

He was no longer the frightened teenager who bowed his head whenever she raised her voice or yielded whenever she wielded guilt as a weapon. He had become a man with his own convictions, his own ambitions, and a will strong enough to challenge hers.

For the first time in years, Richard had begun to realize that being the heir to an empire did not mean surrendering ownership of his own life.

”Richie,” Su San said, her voice calm but unwavering, ”Novare is not Shangville. We may have established our dominance in Shangville, but Novare is where the Learson legacy began. That is our true home.”

She held his gaze, her expression resolute.

”You should reclaim the glory that rightfully belongs to the Learson family.”

Richard let out a slow breath before meeting her eyes.

”But, Aunt...” he said evenly, ”you’re no longer a Learson.”

A flicker crossed Su San’s face.

”You married into the Su family. Even after Uncle’s passing, you’re still a Su .”

For a heartbeat, silence filled the room.

Then Su San’s composure shattered.

”How dare you!” she snapped, her voice echoing through the mansion. ”Everything I’ve done—every sacrifice I’ve made—has been for the Learson’s sake!”

Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to contain her anger.

”For your future. For the empire your parents died to preserve. One day you’ll understand that every decision I’ve made was to protect what rightfully belongs to you.”

His Aunt’s voice faded and he was back standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, his hands tucked into his pockets as he gazed over Novare’s glittering skyline. Countless neon lights illuminated the city below, transforming the night into a sea of shimmering colors.

At the heart of it all stood Aioryx Tower, its sleek silhouette piercing the heavens like a monument to power and ambition. It dominated the skyline—a symbol of everything the Foster family had built.

Far to the north, another skyscraper rose defiantly against the night.

The Dalton headquarters.

Its illuminated crown seemed to challenge Aioryx Tower from across the city, a constant reminder that the battle for supremacy was far from over.

Richard drew in a slow, steady breath.

The Learsons had slipped from the top.

But not for long.

His eyes hardened with determination as they lingered on the Dalton headquarters. He would restore the Learson name to its rightful place—even if it meant risking everything to reclaim the ranking they had lost.

”Know your enemy.” Richard murmured, then he turned toward his study.

...

Richard logged into his social media account, intending to dig into Morgan Foster and Kristoff Dalton. He hoped to find something about them. A scandal or leverage buried beneath months of news articles, gossip posts, and public speculation.

Instead, one name stopped him cold.

Isobel.

His fingers froze above the screen.

Post after post from two months earlier flooded his feed, all revolving around the same explosive scandal—her alleged affair with Morgan Foster.

His brows knitted together as he scrolled through the endless accusations, sensational headlines, and grainy photos. The more he read, the tighter his chest became.

Then he found another detail.

Isobel had worked as the nanny for Morgan’s twin children.

Richard stared at the screen in disbelief.

How was that possible?

She had been the brightest student in her class, someone destined for a brilliant career. She had always carried herself with quiet confidence and remarkable intelligence. Yet somehow, after disappearing without a trace for an entire year, she had ended up working as a nanny.

What had happened to her?

What kind of hardship could have forced someone like Isobel to abandon the future she had worked so hard to build?

His thoughts spiraled into darker territory.

Could the rumors actually be true?

Why else would Morgan treat her with such unusual kindness? A man of Morgan’s status had no reason to keep a nanny so close unless there was something more between them.

Richard’s jaw tightened.

Yet everything he found painted a different picture.

Morgan appeared utterly devoted to his wife. Every public appearance, every interview, every photograph showed a husband deeply in love with the woman by his side. There wasn’t the slightest hint of a man carrying on a secret affair.

The contradictions only deepened the mystery.

And for reasons he couldn’t explain, Richard found himself caring far more about uncovering the truth than he ever expected.