The Surrogate He Discarded

Kristoff sat behind his massive executive desk, his tall frame sinking into a black leather ergonomic chair as he studied the documents spread before him.

His expression was cold and not merely displeased.

The temperature in the office had nothing to do with the air-conditioning. The oppressive chill came from the man sitting behind the desk.

Owen sat rigidly across from him, careful not to make a sound.

He had worked for Kristoff long enough to know that this particular silence was dangerous.

Finally, Kristoff lifted his eyes from the documents.

”I thought we had already dealt with the workers involved in the accident in the Hugo Project.”

”We did, Boss.”

Owen swallowed before continuing.

”But someone appears to be stirring things up again.”

Kristoff’s fingers stopped tapping against the desk.

”Explain.”

”Two of the injured workers have suddenly retracted their original statements.” Owen carefully chose his words. ”They’re now claiming that the management failed to conduct proper safety inspections before the accident.”

Kristoff’s eyes darkened.

”Suddenly?”

”Yes.”

”Have you found out who is behind it?”

”Not yet.”

Owen hesitated before picking up a tablet.

”But there is something else you should see. I think the two matters might be connected.”

He placed the tablet on Kristoff’s desk and turned the screen toward him.

A photograph appeared on the screen.

Charlotte.

Kristoff’s eyes lingered on her face.

Had it really been only a few months since they had broken up?

She had moved on quickly. Far too quickly.

And of all places, she had chosen his biggest rival.

A faint, bitter smile touched the corner of Kristoff’s lips.

He wasn’t surprised.

Charlotte was angry. She wanted to get back at him, and this was her way of doing it—making sure he saw her standing beside the one man she knew could irritate him the most.

Perhaps she thought it would make him jealous. Perhaps she wanted him to regret walking away.

He should know; Charlotte had always been like this.

Behind that beautiful smile and seemingly gentle demeanor was a woman who could be petty, calculating, and vindictive when she didn’t get what she wanted.

Kristoff had simply been blind and taken too long to see it.

His gaze shifted back to the photograph.

Charlotte stood before a breathtaking luxury villa, dressed in an elegant white dress with a flowing skirt that moved gently around her legs. Her long hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, and her makeup was flawless.

She looked every bit the glamorous celebrity endorser.

Her smile was radiant and too perfect.

Just like a smile practiced in front of the mirror so many times. The kind of smile designed to sell a dream.

Kristoff stared at it for several seconds.

Then his expression hardened.

So this is how you want to play it, Charlotte?

His eyes moved to the logo displayed beneath the photograph.

Pollus Corporation.

His biggest rival in the real-estate industry.

That changed everything.

His gaze immediately hardened.

”So, Charlotte...” His voice was dangerously quiet. ”Partnered with Marco Pollus?”

”Apparently so.”

Owen leaned forward slightly.

”She’s endorsing one of Pollus Corporation’s newest luxury subdivisions in the southern suburbs. The campaign launched this morning.”

Kristoff said nothing. His fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the desk.

”There’s another problem.”

Kristoff looked up. ”What?”

”Investors are talking.”

”About Charlotte?”

”About Charlotte... and Pollus Corporation.”

Kristoff’s eyes narrowed.

Owen swiped through the financial reports on his tablet.

”Some of them think her endorsement means Pollus has gained access to a stronger celebrity network. Others are wondering if there’s a deeper business connection between Charlotte and the Pollus family.”

”And the market believes them?”

”It’s starting to.”

Owen turned the tablet toward him.

”Since the campaign went public, our stock has been sliding.”

”How much?”

”Three percent so far.”

Kristoff’s expression hardened.

”And Pollus?”

”Their stock is up nearly five percent.”

Kristoff stared at the numbers.

Owen continued, his voice becoming more cautious.

”Investors are already comparing the two companies. With the Old Town accident still making headlines, some are starting to question whether we’re losing ground while Pollus is gaining momentum.”

Kristoff’s jaw tightened.

”So they’re using Charlotte to create a story.”

”That’s what it looks like.”

A cold silence settled over the room.

Kristoff leaned back slowly.

Charlotte had made her move.

And somehow, Marco Pollus was benefiting from it.

He hesitated.

”And because everyone knows Charlotte was your fiancée, they’re connecting her decision to your company.”

Kristoff’s eyes turned cold.

”So they’re selling because of a celebrity endorsement?”

”Not entirely.”

Owen shook his head.

”The endorsement itself isn’t the problem. It’s the timing.”

He placed another report on the desk.

”Our company is already dealing with negative publicity because of the Old Town accident. Now Charlotte suddenly appears in Pollus Corporation’s latest campaign. Investors see the two events happening at the same time, and they’re starting to wonder whether there’s something bigger going on.”

Kristoff leaned back slowly.

Owen lowered his voice.

”Some shareholders are worried that we’re losing influence in the market. Others are afraid Pollus is preparing an aggressive expansion while we’re distracted by the accident investigation.”

A dangerous silence settled over the office.

Kristoff stared at the numbers on the screen.

His company’s stock was falling.

Pollus Corporation’s was rising.

And the shift had begun almost immediately after Charlotte appeared beside Marco.

Maybe it was nothing more than market speculation.

Or maybe someone was deliberately manipulating the narrative.

Kristoff’s eyes became colder.

This is too convenient.

The accident.

Charlotte’s endorsement.

The sudden change in the workers’ testimonies.

Marco Pollus.

All of it was beginning to look less like coincidence...

and more like a carefully orchestrated attack.

Kristoff’s jaw tightened. It looked like he needed to clarify their relationship publicly.

He had already given up on Charlotte.

He expected her to move on.

What he hadn’t expected was for her to move directly into the camp of his most troublesome rival—and do it so publicly and fast.

His eyes remained fixed on the screen.

”Let the PR department deal with it.”

”Yes, Boss.”

Owen was about to retrieve the tablet when Kristoff suddenly reached out.

His finger swiped across the screen.

The next photograph appeared.

This time, Charlotte wasn’t posing alone. She was standing beside Marco Pollus.

The two looked remarkably comfortable together.

Kristoff’s eyes narrowed.

Marco.

A memory suddenly surfaced. The gala. Marco Pollus dancing with Isobel.

Kristoff’s expression became colder.

What exactly are you after?

His gaze lingered on the photograph.

Marco had entered the picture too many times lately.

First Isobel and now Charlotte.

Or perhaps, he dealt with Charlotte first.

And somehow, the trouble surrounding the Old Town accident had begun at almost the same time.

Was it just a coincidence?

Kristoff didn’t believe in coincidences.

”Owen.”

”Yes, Boss?”

”Contact Kronos.”

Owen’s expression changed immediately.

Kronos.

Just hearing the name was enough to make him straighten.

Kristoff rarely involved Kronos in business matters.

That man was not someone you called for ordinary corporate investigations. When Kronos was brought into a problem, it usually meant the situation had already gone far beyond what conventional methods could handle.

”Tell him to investigate Marco Pollus.”

Owen nodded.

”Understood.”

Kristoff leaned back in his chair, his eyes still fixed on Marco’s photograph.

”And Owen...”

”Yes?”

”Tell him to be very careful. Don’t let Marco know we’re investigating him.”

Owen’s expression turned serious.

”Understood, Boss.”

He turned and left the office.

The moment the door closed, silence returned.

Kristoff slowly picked up the tablet again.

Marco Pollus.

Kristoff’s biggest competitor.

A man with money, connections, and enough influence to make problems disappear—or make them much worse.

The Pollus family had a reputation that went back decades.

The older generation was rumored to have deep ties to the Mafia underworld, building their fortune through connections that respectable businessmen preferred not to talk about.

But somewhere along the way, the Pollus family changed course.

They gradually moved away from the shadows and began investing heavily in legitimate businesses.

Real estate.

Finance.

Technology.

Under Marco Pollus, the family name had been completely transformed.

He rose rapidly through the real-estate industry, acquiring prime properties and turning them into some of the most prestigious developments in the city.

But that wasn’t all.

Kristoff had recently learned that Marco had also ventured into the technology sector.

He had quietly launched an AI startup.

Kristoff’s eyes narrowed.

Real estate was already enough of a threat.

Now Marco was entering the AI industry as well. He even tried to poach Isobel.

What exactly are you planning, Marco Pollus? Are you trying to compete with Morgan Foster as well?

For a man whose family had spent generations building power from the shadows, Marco seemed to be expanding his empire far too quickly.

And Kristoff couldn’t shake the feeling that the man wasn’t simply building businesses. He was building something much bigger.

Kristoff’s instincts were screaming at him.

The accident in Old Town wasn’t simply an accident. Someone was deliberately pushing the situation toward his company.

And if Marco Pollus was behind it...

Then this was no longer just a corporate dispute.

It was a declaration of war.

Kristoff’s fingers tightened around the tablet.

His eyes turned ice-cold.

Come at me, then.

Let’s see who gets buried first.