The Surrogate He Discarded

The days that followed were surprisingly peaceful.

With Kit and Kat gradually transitioning to baby food, they relied less on breastfeeding, giving Isobel more freedom than she had enjoyed in months.

She gladly poured that extra time into the research and development department, immersing herself in experiments, product testing, and brainstorming sessions. It felt good to be doing the work she loved again.

Then, one afternoon, Richard appeared at the front of Aioryx Tower.

”Have you forgotten something?” he asked, leaning casually against his car.

Isobel looked up from where she was standing and waiting for her ride.

”Forgotten what?”

He raised an eyebrow.

”You promised to treat me to dinner after I helped you that day.”

A flicker of realization crossed her face.

”Oh.” She laughed sheepishly. ”Of course I remember. I wasn’t planning to back out.”

”Good,” Richard said with a satisfied smile. ”Let’s go.”

A short while later, Richard pulled into the driveway of one of Novare’s most prestigious restaurants.

Isobel stared at the grand entrance, then slowly turned to him.

”Richard...”

”Hm?”

”Are you trying to bankrupt me?”

She pointed at the gleaming gold sign above the entrance.

”This place is ridiculously expensive!”

Richard couldn’t help but laugh.

”So that’s what you’re worried about.”

”Of course!” she huffed. ”I promised to treat you, not sell a kidney.”

He shook his head, amused.

”Relax. I’ll pay.”

Isobel blinked.

”...Really?”

”Really.”

Before she could say another word, Richard reached over and gently ruffled her hair.

The familiar gesture caught her completely off guard.

For a brief moment, it felt as though they had been transported back to their younger days, when life had been simple and neither of them carried the weight they now bore.

A bright smile spread across Isobel’s face.

”Then what are we waiting for?” she said, slipping out of the car. ”Let’s go before you change your mind.”

Richard smiled as he watched her hurry toward the entrance.

Somehow, seeing her smile made the extravagant dinner feel worth every cent.

...

Inside a private dining room tucked away in the restaurant’s quietest corner, Kristoff’s hand tightened around the crystal glass until his knuckles turned white.

Through the floor-to-ceiling window, he watched Richard and Isobel across the dining hall.

He couldn’t hear their conversation.

But he didn’t need to.

Their laughter carried through their expressions alone. Richard leaned forward with an easy smile, while Isobel laughed so freely that her eyes curved into crescents. The ease between them was unmistakable.

Something twisted painfully in Kristoff’s chest.

Charlotte, seated across from him, noticed his attention had drifted long ago.

Curious, she followed his line of sight.

By the time she looked toward the dining hall, however, Isobel and Richard had already disappeared deeper into the restaurant, leaving only the flow of arriving guests near the entrance.

She saw nothing unusual.

Turning back to Kristoff, she forced a gentle smile.

”Kristoff, darling... is something wrong?”

He tore his gaze away from the window and reached for his glass.

”I’m fine.”

The words were calm, but the sharpness in his voice betrayed him.

Charlotte’s smile faltered.

She had known Kristoff long enough to recognize when he was hiding something.

Gathering her courage, she asked the question that had been weighing on her heart for weeks.

”Kristoff...”

Charlotte’s voice was barely above a whisper.

She lowered her eyes for a moment, gathering the courage she had been searching for all evening. Finally, she looked up and met his gaze.

”When are we getting married?”

Kristoff had just lifted his glass to his lips.

The question struck him so unexpectedly that he nearly spat out the water.

He broke into a fit of coughing, setting the crystal glass down with a dull thud against the table. His usually composed expression cracked as surprise flashed across his face.

For the first time that evening, the unshakable Kristoff Dalton looked completely unprepared.

Charlotte’s heart sank.

She pressed her lips together to stop them from trembling.

Was marriage really such an impossible question for him?

Or...

Did he simply not want to marry her?

A heavy silence settled between them, broken only by the soft notes of the piano drifting in from the dining hall.

When Kristoff finally spoke, his voice was lower than before.

”Charie...”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose as though searching for the right words.

”There are still things I have to do.”

His eyes remained fixed on the table instead of her.

”Until those are settled... I can’t get married.”

Charlotte slowly curled her fingers beneath the table until her nails dug into her palms.

The pain grounded her.

She wanted to ask him what those ”things” were.

She wanted to ask whether they were more important than the future they had promised each other.

More frightening still...

She wanted to ask whether those unfinished matters had anything to do with the woman who had stolen his attention only moments ago.

But she swallowed every question.

Years of learning to hide her emotions paid off.

When she finally looked at him again, the hurt in her eyes had vanished behind a graceful, practiced smile.

”Okay.”

Her voice was soft.

”I’ll wait for you.”

Kristoff nodded, seemingly relieved by her understanding.

He never noticed that beneath the table, Charlotte’s fists remained tightly clenched, her nails biting so deeply into her skin that tiny crescent marks had begun to form.

Her smile had convinced everyone.

Except her own heart.

”I need to use the restroom.”

Kristoff pushed his chair back before Charlotte could respond.

Without another word, he strode out of the private room, needing a moment to clear the turmoil clouding his mind. The conversation about marriage had left him feeling strangely suffocated, and the sight of Isobel with another man had only made it worse.

The corridor outside was quiet, its polished marble floors reflecting the warm glow of crystal chandeliers. Soft piano music drifted faintly from the main dining hall, but Kristoff barely heard it.

His thoughts were elsewhere.

Then, just as he reached the corridor leading to the restrooms, someone stepped through the ladies’ door.

He stopped in his tracks.

Isobel.

For a heartbeat, the world around him seemed to fade into silence.

She looked up, equally startled to find someone standing in her path.

The elegant lighting softened her features, and for an instant, Kristoff was transported back months ago—to a simpler time when they had shared beautiful moments instead of painful memories.

”Isobel...”

Her name escaped his lips in little more than a whisper, as though saying it too loudly would shatter the moment.

It really was her. She wasn’t a trick of his imagination. His gaze instinctively searched beyond her.

A few steps away stood the man who had accompanied her to the restaurant.

Recognition dawned almost immediately.

The man from the orphanage.

Richard.

Kristoff’s brows drew together.

Why was Isobel with him?