The Surrogate He Discarded

Richard glanced at his watch.

6:00 p.m.

The meeting with one of his partners had dragged on far longer than expected. It had been an important matter, one he could not simply walk away from, no matter how impatient he had become.

And now, there was somewhere else he desperately wanted to be.

The hospital.

He had promised himself that he would stop by and see Isobel.

Before he could even reach for his phone, a knock sounded at the door.

”Boss, Mrs. Gabor called.”

Maxine stood in the doorway, a tablet tucked against her chest.

”She said she has something important to discuss with you. She’s waiting for you at The Alps.”

Richard’s fingers paused over his phone.

For a moment, he said nothing.

He was looking forward to seeing Isobel all afternoon. Even if he could only stay for a few minutes, he wanted to see her with his own eyes. He wanted to know how she was doing. ℯℯ𝑙.

But Sharon Gabor was different.

Refusing her was not something Richard could bring himself to do.

His gaze drifted toward the window, where the last traces of daylight were fading over the city.

Years ago, before he had become the man he was now, he met Sharon in a small gift shop.

He was trying to buy a birthday present for Isobel.

A pink plush toy had caught his eye, and he had stood there for a long time, counting the few coins in his pocket again and again, hoping he had somehow miscalculated.

He hadn’t.

He couldn’t afford it.

He still remembered the embarrassment that had burned through him when Sharon noticed.

But instead of humiliating him or treating him like a charity case, she had simply smiled and offered him a chance.

She gave him a puzzle to solve and when he succeeded, she gave a 50% discount on the pink bunny, enough for Richard to purchase the gift.

After that time, Richard was called to the gift shop many times.

Sharon gave him tasks.

It wasn’t much—small errands, cleaning, carrying boxes, helping with customers—but to Richard, it was everything.

Every coin he earned had gone toward Isobel.

A sweet treat.

A new dress.

A little toy.

Anything that could put a smile on his little Isobel’s face.

Sharon had never asked for anything in return.

...

Then Richard left Novare, and their paths separated.

He had never imagined that fate would bring them together again years later in Fiorenza.

It was a special circumstance that would leave him indebted to her once more. A debt, that would be difficult to repay.

Richard’s jaw tightened.

That debt weighed on him more heavily than he cared to admit.

”Then I’ll go,” he finally said.

He picked up his coat from the back of his chair.

”Max, you’re coming with me.”

A figure stepped out from behind Maxine.

Her twin brother, Max, had been waiting quietly in the hallway.

The siblings had come with Richard from Shangville. Maxine served as his secretary, while Max was both his bodyguard and driver.

”Yes, Boss.”

Max’s expression remained impassive as he followed Richard.

But he had spent enough time around his boss to notice things other people missed.

Richard’s face was as calm and unreadable as ever.

His shoulders were straight. His steps were steady. Not a trace of hesitation showed in his movements.

But his eyes told a different story.

There was something weighing heavily on him.

Max didn’t know whether it was Isobel, Sharon Gabor, or the reason those two names had somehow become entangled in the same evening.

He only knew one thing.

Richard wasn’t going to The Alps because he wanted to.

He was going because, once again, he felt he owed Sharon Gabor a debt he couldn’t afford to ignore.

...

”Richie.”

The silver-haired woman slowly rose from her chair, a warm smile spreading across her face.

”Grandma Sharon.”

Richard immediately went to her side and gently helped her back into her seat.

Sharon had chosen a secluded corner of the exclusive restaurant, where floor-to-ceiling windows offered an unobstructed view of Novare. Below them, the city glittered beneath the evening sky, thousands of lights stretching into the distance like scattered stars.

”You don’t have to stand just to greet me, Grandma.” His voice was gentle, carrying none of the cool authority he used with everyone else.

He sat beside her while Max remained near the door, quietly keeping watch.

”How have you been?” Richard asked. ”And what brings you to Novare?”

”Ah, I simply missed my gift shop in Aldea.”

Richard’s brows furrowed.

”Your gift shop is still there?”

He had visited the orphanage several times, so he knew that the gift shop was no longer there.

Sharon laughed softly.

”It’s inside Centro.”

Richard’s eyes widened slightly.

Centro.

The five-story mall standing at the heart of Aldea.

He had seen the imposing building many times, but he had never known that it belonged to the Gabor family.

”I’ve seen the mall,” he admitted. ”But I’ve never had the chance to go inside.”

Sharon’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

”Then you should let me show it to you.”

Richard looked at her, sensing that there was more behind her words.

”Is there something you need from me, Grandma?”

Sharon’s smile became even more mysterious.

”Actually, there is.”

She paused, deliberately letting the moment linger.

”I wanted to ask you a little favor...”

Before she could say more, the door to the private room opened.

A young woman stepped inside.

Her long auburn hair fell in a smooth cascade all the way to her waist, while her off-shoulder black dress hugged her elegant figure. She carried herself with effortless confidence, and the dazzling smile on her face seemed reserved for only one person.

”Richard.”

Richard turned.

”Kristal.”

The woman’s eyes immediately brightened.

She crossed the room without hesitation.

Richard instinctively stood and pulled out a chair for her.

But before she could sit, Kristal stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.

”I missed you.”

Richard’s body stiffened for a fleeting moment.

Her perfume drifted around him—soft, floral, and undeniably pleasant.

Yet his reaction remained restrained.

Across the table, Sharon watched them with unmistakable satisfaction.

A knowing smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Richard noticed it.

His gaze shifted from Sharon to Kristal.

Only then did he begin to suspect that Kristal’s sudden appearance—and Sharon’s mysterious ”favor”—might not be a coincidence at all.