The Surrogate Contract With The Ruthless Billionaire

The moment I read the nanny's text, everything inside me went still.

The kids are gone? Those texts were all it took to crush me out.

A cold heaviness filled my chest. Oh God, not again, not after everything I had already survived. 

I felt like I had fallen into the same fire I barely survived after Vivian's death.

I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking as I called the nanny. 

It rang twice before she picked up.

"What happened?" My voice was already rising. 

"How did this happen? I left those kids with you! Can't I have a break without everything falling apart?"

" I-I don't know," she stammered, with panic in her voice. 

"They were right here, Madam Ava. I turned for a second to answer the doorbell. When I came back...."

I didn't let her finish and ended the call immediately. My hands shook uncontrollably.

I told Mom I needed to go take care of something urgent. I didn't lie exactly, it was urgent, just not the kind she thought. 

Now, that excuse felt like I had lied to her face.

Panic rushed in, and guilt followed like it had been waiting. I had no idea if what I felt was my natural bond with the triplets, or if it was the crushing fear of how ruthlessly Nicholas would react.

Nicholas. 

The ruthless billionaire who had already buried one woman, now her babies were missing while I was meant to protect them.

I typed quickly.

Hi Nicholas, it's Ava.

The triplets are missing.

I just went out for a moment, and I've been getting repeated calls from the nanny. Your presence is needed at the mansion. Please help. I'm trying my best to be calm, but things are a mess right now.

I hit send or thought I did.

Just as I was about to double-check, my phone rang, my mother's call came in. 

I answered right away, my voice shaking over every sentence during the conversation.

Hours passed. 

No response from Nicholas, and  still no trace of the children.

I walked crazily around the mansion, calling their names as if they would suddenly come out of the closets and laugh. 

But the house was too quiet, no trace of them. 

Unlike every child's room, their toys were untouched, and the room was neatly arranged. 

In fact, the whole house was like a crime scene.

The sharp slam of the front door dragged me out of my thoughts. 

Nicholas had arrived.

I turned around just as he stepped inside. His sharp eyes swept across the living room.

"Where are my kids?" he barked.

"Why is this house so silent?" Why isn't anyone here to greet me?" What's going on?"

I stepped forward, trying to explain. 

"Nicholas, I tried calling. I left a message"

He cut me off. 

"Message? I got nothing. What kind of joke is this?"

I quickly checked my phone, and the message was still unsent, sitting there like it was mocking me.

"I wrote it, but didn't get to send it because my mom called. I thought it sent"

Nicholas looked at me like I'd just lost my mind, like I was speaking another language.

"Don't stand there making excuses. Where are they, Ava?"

Tears filled my eyes. "I don't know."

He froze.

"You don't know?" His tone dropped dangerously low, more dangerous than a shout. 

"You left my children, and now they're gone?"

I chipped in, "I stepped out just briefly"

"For what? Another excuse?" His jaw clenched. 

"You took their mother. Now you want to take them too?"

I took a step backward like I had been shocked "Please don't say that"

"You have twenty-four hours, no, that's a lot, you've got twelve hours," he hissed. 

"Find them. Or don't bother showing your face again."

My throat tightened as I tried to speak. My voice barely came out. "Twelve hours?"

"That's generous," he spat. "You're supposed to be their guardian, Ava. This is on you."

And just like that, he marched into the hallway, voice sharp as he snapped orders into his phone.

***

I had never been this hurt my entire life, the pain was too deep. 

I couldn't breathe. 

I couldn't think. 

The fear held me so tightly that I couldn't move.

Where do I even start? I didn't have any idea on who would have taken them or why. 

The gates were always locked and security was supposed to be tight.

Unless it was someone on the inside.

I began searching every room again. The closets, the garden, even the laundry room.

I checked the CCTV footage, but the cameras had gone dark a few hours ago, sending a new chill down my spine.

Nicholas was on the phone nonstop, calling security firms and contacting the authorities. 

He moved like a machine, cold and sharp, never letting his eyes touch mine.

I tried to sit, but my legs wouldn't stop shaking, and my tummy twisted with every passing second. 

I was so exhausted I barely noticed when I collapsed on the couch with my phone still in hand.

By the time I had woken up, it was still dark, but I was covered with something warm-a blanket.

Strange, I didn't remember getting one.

I forced my sleepy eyes open, slowly sat up, and looked around.

The nanny passed by, and I called out to her.

"Did you put this blanket over me?"

She shook her head. "No. Mr Nicholas did. He came in about an hour ago, and you were shivering uncontrollably in your sleep."

I blinked again, unsure if I heard her right. Nicholas? Covered me?

That wasn't like him at all.

"That's so strange," I whispered to myself.

Maybe it was guilt, or perhaps the ruthless billionaire wasn't completely heartless.

Still, none of it mattered. The kids were gone, and time was running out.

***

I sat up fully, trying to reprocess everything, then remembered something.

The nanny said she turned around to answer the door.

What door?

I rushed to her room.

"Who came to the door earlier?"I questioned.

She blinked, clearly startled. 

"I...I don't know. I thought it was one of the staff. I opened it, and no one was there. Maybe it was a prank"

"A prank, who would want to play a prank?" My voice broke. "And you didn't think to tell me this earlier?"

"I tried telling you, but you cut me short, and I didn't want to make things worse. I thought maybe...maybe the kids were playing hide and seek."

I turned away from her, my whole body going numb. 

Something wasn't right. 

This wasn't just carelessness; it looked planned, like something carefully arranged and a targeted attack.

A notification flashed just as I grabbed my phone.

Private Number: You took something from me. Now it's your turn.

My breath was fastened.

What?

I read it again, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

Another message followed.

You have until sunrise.

I felt my heart drop.

This didn't happen by chance. Someone was taking revenge.

And I had no idea what was coming next.