The Surrogate He Discarded

Heads turned.

A distinguished man in his late fifties approached them. He carried himself with the quiet authority of someone accustomed to being listened to.

His gaze settled warmly on Isobel.

”I understand exactly what you mean.”

The man then turned toward Kristoff, a familiar smile appearing on his face.

”Good evening, Kristoff. It’s been a long time.”

”Good evening, Dean Sunner. It’s good to see you.”

Kristoff’s tone was noticeably more respectful than usual. There was even a hint of warmth in his voice, a quiet acknowledgment of the man who had once been his teacher and now the chancellor of the university.

Chancellor Sunner looked back at Isobel.

”I, too, grew up in an orphanage.”

A ripple of surprise moved through the nearby guests.

”A teacher eventually adopted me,” he continued.

”He sent me to college and, more importantly, he was someone who believed in my worth.”

His smile softened.

”I followed in his footsteps and devoted my life to the academe.”

He raised his glass.

”So if anyone in this room thinks that coming from an orphanage is something to be ashamed of...”

His eyes swept over the crowd.

”They should think again.”

Several guests immediately raised their glasses in agreement.

Isobel’s heart warmed. She had expected whispers. She hadn’t expected this.

And then another woman approached.

She was in her early forties, dressed in an elegant gown that commanded attention without trying to steal it. There was something unmistakably confident about the way she walked—a quiet authority that made people instinctively give her space.

The moment several guests recognized her, their expressions changed.

It was Dawn Amali.

Founder of EOS—Equality of Sisters.

She came from the powerful Amali family, a dynasty built around a deeply patriarchal tradition in which sons were favored, and daughters were expected to remain in their brothers’ shadows and become wives to powerful allies.

Dawn had refused.

She broke away from the role her family had assigned her, built her own influence, and proved that she could stand beside—or above—her brothers without asking permission.

In time, she had earned the respect of not only her father and brothers, but an entire nation.

She became the idol of many women and students.

And tonight, that woman walked straight past several prominent guests.

Past the people who had been waiting for her attention...

And Straight toward Isobel.

”I finally get to meet the woman behind KitKat.”

Dawn smiled as she extended her hand.

Isobel’s eyes widened slightly before she accepted it.

”And I never thought I’d have the luck to meet the legendary Dawn Amali.”

Dawn laughed.

”The legendary one? That makes me sound much older than I am.”

Isobel laughed as well.

”I meant it as a compliment.”

”I’ll accept it, then.”

”Eos, the Goddess of Dawn. That was one clever name for a movement.” Isobel added.

Dawn’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

”So, you like mythology as well?”

Isobel nodded.

”Smart girl. Not many could tell there is meaning behind EOS. But you did.”

Their laughter mingled as they raised their glasses and lightly clinked them together.

The sound seemed strangely loud in the suddenly quiet ballroom.

Selene, who was still standing beside Isobel, had been reduced to little more than a wallflower.

She clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms.

No.

She wouldn’t let Isobel surpass her.

”Madam Dawn, you look even more impressive in person. The photos really don’t do you justice.”

Selene stepped forward with a bright smile and extended her hand.

Dawn accepted it, but the handshake lasted only a moment before she withdrew her hand.

Selene’s smile tightened.

”By the way, I’m Selene Jones, Mayor Jones’s daughter.”

Dawn gave a polite nod.

”Nice to meet you.”

Then, without another word, she turned back to Isobel and said something that made her laugh.

Dawn laughed along with her.

Selene stood there for a moment, her hand slowly falling to her side.

She had been dismissed.

And worse, she had been dismissed without Dawn even seeming to realize she had done it.

A few steps away, Kristoff watched the two women talking.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

He hadn’t expected Isobel to get along so easily with someone like Dawn Amali.

More surprising was how natural Isobel seemed.

She wasn’t trying too hard to impress Dawn. She wasn’t nervous or awkward. She simply talked to her as though they had known each other for years.

Kristoff found himself watching her with newfound interest.

When they were together, Isobel had always seemed timid.

Quiet.

Almost overly cautious.

But then again, he had never really given her much opportunity to socialize.

They never went out for dinner. All of their meals were eaten at home, away from the public eye.

Even when she was pregnant, he had left most of the arrangements to the household staff. Her maternity clothes, Alexander’s baby clothes—even the little details she might have wanted to choose for herself—had been handled by the maid.

How could he have known what Isobel was actually like around other people?

Tonight, he was seeing a side of her he had never noticed before.

She was poised.

Warm.

And surprisingly confident.

Kristoff’s smile deepened as he watched her laugh with Dawn.

Then an unexpected thought crossed his mind.

If Alexander weren’t their son...

If he hadn’t been the one thing tying them together...

Would Isobel stand beside him?

For some reason, the thought made his chest tighten.

He didn’t like the answer that immediately came to him.

It would probably be very easy for another man to notice what he had failed to see.

And if that happened...

Kristoff’s gaze lingered on Isobel.

For the first time, he wondered if being Alexander’s father was the only reason he still had a place beside her.

The thought unsettled him far more than it should have.

...

Across the room, Mary’s smile vanished.

Her fingers tightened around her wineglass.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Dean Sunner had stepped forward to defend Isobel.

And now Dawn Amali—the founder of EOS, one of the most influential women’s movements in the country—had approached Isobel publicly.

Worse...

She had approached Isobel first.

Mary was the hostess.

The guests of honor should have been coming to her.

They should have been acknowledging her.

Instead, two of the evening’s most respected figures had completely bypassed her to speak with Isobel.

Mary’s hand trembled.

The wine inside her glass rippled dangerously close to the rim.

Her jaw tightened.

”How could this happen?”

She had invited Isobel here to humiliate her.

To make the entire room question her place beside Kristoff.

Instead, Isobel had turned the very thing meant to shame her into a source of pride.

And somehow, in less than a few minutes, she had gained something Mary could not manufacture with money, status, or an invitation list.

Respect.

Mary’s eyes darkened as she stared across the ballroom.

For the first time that evening, she realized something terrifying.

Her plan hadn’t merely failed.

It had given Isobel a stage.