The Surrogate He Discarded

Meanwhile, Richard took Kristal to an upscale bar called High Spirits, located in the heart of Novare.

The moment they stepped inside, the muffled roar of the city disappeared behind the heavy doors.

Warm amber lights glowed above polished tables, casting a golden sheen over bottles of wine and crystal glasses.

Kristal looked around appreciatively.

”Is there a band here?”

”Of course.” Richard gestured toward the stage. ”High Spirits is one of the best places in Novare for slow rock and pop music.”

The place was already crowded.

Most of the patrons appeared to be corporate executives and senior managers, their expensive watches and tailored suits giving them away. Some were celebrating successful deals over bottles of wine, while others had loosened their ties and were simply trying to forget the week’s headaches.

It was payday, after all.

For once, people wanted to spend a little of what they had earned and enjoy themselves.

A live band started to occupy a small stage at the far end of the room. Their slow rock rendition drifted through the air. The music was loud enough to create an intimate atmosphere without drowning out conversation.

Richard glanced around before asking, ”Do you want a private room?”

”No.”

Kristal shook her head and pointed toward the corner.

”We can sit there.”

A curved leather couch surrounded a low coffee table, comfortably seating four.

Richard silently breathed a sigh of relief.

A private room with just the two of them would have been awkward. Especially after Kristal had been looking at him strangely all evening.

They settled into the corner.

At first, Kristal barely spoke.

She simply listened to the music, occasionally making a comment about a song she recognized. She drank slowly, enjoying the warmth of the liquor spreading through her.

Richard was content to let her be.

But as the evening progressed, the color in Kristal’s cheeks deepened.

Her eyes became slightly unfocused.

And with every drink, her usual restraint seemed to disappear.

By the time she leaned back against the couch, she was smiling at Richard far more openly than before.

”Richard...”

”Hm?”

”Do you remember the first time we met?”

Richard’s fingers paused around his glass. A strange uneasiness settled in his stomach.

”At the party in Sommerset?” he asked.

”No, no.”

Kristal lifted one finger and waved it slowly in front of him.

”You’re wrong.”

Richard frowned.

”Then where?”

”It was at Grandma’s villa.”

She leaned closer.

”In the south of Fiorenza.”

Richard’s expression changed.

Kristal smiled when she saw it.

”Ah.” She pointed at him triumphantly. ”You remember now.”

Richard said nothing.

”How could you forget?” Kristal continued, her voice softening. ”Grandma found you at the beach.”

The color drained from Richard’s face.

If they had been sitting beneath the sunlight, Kristal would have seen him turn as pale as paper.

For a moment, he couldn’t speak.

That night had been buried deep in his memory—a nightmare he had no desire to drag back into the light.

Kristal paused, studying his reaction with half-lidded eyes.

”You were badly beaten.”

Richard’s jaw tightened.

”And you had nothing on you except those tattered board shorts.”

A soft, drunken laugh escaped Kristal. She seemed almost amused by the memory.

Richard wasn’t.

The music suddenly seemed farther away.

Richard looked down at his drink.

That night.

He hadn’t thought about it in years.

Or at least, he had tried not to.

His aunt, Su San, sent him to Fiorenza immediately after graduation. She told him it was an opportunity to gain experience after his internship and prepare himself for a larger role in the Learson business.

He accepted without complaint.

He never imagined Fiorenza would become the place where he nearly lost his life.

It had started with something so insignificant that, even now, it seemed absurd.

A woman had stumbled on the pavement outside a cafe.

She had twisted her ankle.

Richard happened to be passing by. He helped her and took her to a nearby hospital.

That was all.

He hadn’t asked for her name or her contact number. He hadn’t even looked back after making sure a nurse attended to her.

But apparently, that small act of kindness had been enough.

The woman had become fascinated with him.

At first, Richard assumed it was nothing more than an infatuation that would eventually disappear.

It didn’t.

She began appearing wherever he went.

At the company, at restaurants.

Even outside his apartment.

She sent expensive gifts that Richard returned unopened.

When he refused to acknowledge her, she simply sent more.

Once, she had even waited outside his office for hours.

”You really don’t remember me?” she had asked with a smile.

”I remember you,” Richard had replied coldly. ”That doesn’t mean I want anything from you.”

Her smile had vanished.

”You’re the first man who has ever said no to me.”

”Then you should get used to it.”

She stared at him for several seconds.

Then, strangely, she laughed.

”I like you even more now. You are a difficult puzzle to solve.”

Richard walked away.

He should have realized then that her interest had already become something darker.

She was the spoiled daughter of a wealthy businessman. She had grown up getting whatever she wanted simply because she wanted it.

Richard was the first thing she couldn’t buy.

And that made him irresistible.

When Richard repeatedly rejected her, she became bolder.

One night, she appeared at his rented apartment without warning.

She had expected him to finally surrender.

She stood before him wearing nothing but her birthday suit, utterly confident that Richard would finally look at her the way every other man did.

Instead, Richard barely reacted.

His expression remained cold and detached, but there was something else in his eyes this time.

Disgust.

He didn’t avert his gaze out of embarrassment. He didn’t stare at her with desire.

He looked at her as though her presence alone offended him.

”Leave.”

The single word struck harder than a slap.

Her confident smile vanished.

”Do you know who I am?” she demanded, her teeth clenched as humiliation burned through her.

Richard’s gaze remained unwavering.

”I know exactly who you are.”

”Then why won’t you give me what I want?”

”Because I don’t want you.”

Silence fell between them—heavy, suffocating, and merciless. It hung in the air like a guillotine suspended above her, waiting for the final drop.

For the first time in her life, she was confronted with something her wealth, beauty, and influence could not buy: a man who simply did not want her.

For a moment, she simply stared at him, as though her mind couldn’t comprehend what she had just heard.

No man had ever rejected her.

Certainly not like this.