Heaven or Hell: Loving My Twisted Billionaire novel Chapter 42

For a moment, I thought she might argue, but instead, she nodded slowly, blinking back what looked like tears.

‘I’ll be nearby if you need anything,” she said quietly.

I didn’t acknowledge her words. I simply turned to Jack and gestured toward what I assumed was the west wing. “Lead the way.”

As we walked through the mansion, I absorbed every detail–the location of security cameras, the number of staff members, the layout of the corridors. If this was some kind of elaborate setup, I needed to be prepared to escape.

“Make sure no one’s listening,” I ordered as Jack closed the door to what was supposedly my bedroom.

The room was massive, with dark wood furniture and rich fabrics–the kind of luxury I’d never imagined having, Jack checked the space thoroughly, even scanning for electronic devices.

“It’s clear,” he said finally.

I sank into an armchair, finally allowing my exhaustion to show. The wounds in my side pulsed with pain. “That woman–Hannah–is she really carrying my child?”

Jack hesitated before answering. “Yes. The pregnancy was confirmed by Sterling family doctors.”

“And what exactly is our relationship?” I pressed. “She claims to be my wife, but I don’t remember her at all.”

“It’s… complicated,” Jack admitted. “She came here originally as part of an arrangement.”

My eyes narrowed. “What kind of arrangement?”

“A business deal, essentially,” Jack explained. “She needed money for her caretaker’s son’s medical treatment. Mrs. Sterling offered to pay her in exchange for carrying your child.”

“So she’s a surrogate,” I concluded, a bitter smile twisting my lips. “I knew it. She’s here for the money.”

“Initially, yes,” Jack agreed. “But things changed. You seemed… different with her. In the few days before your accident, you asked her to stay.”

I scoffed. “A few days isn’t enough to change anything. She’s just another gold–digger.”

Despite my harsh words, something twisted in my gut–disappointment, perhaps. For a moment in the hospital, when she’d first told me about the pregnancy, there had been something in her eyes that seemed genuine. But I’d learned the hard way not to trust appearances.

I rose from the chair, ignoring the pain that shot through my body, and continued exploring the room. My fingers trailed over the surface of a mahogany desk, stopping when I noticed something propped against the wall–a slender pink cane.

“What’s this?” I asked, picking it up with a frown.

You commissioned it,” Jack replied. To match Miss Lancaster’s dress color.”

事

Chapter 42

I stared at the case, trying to force a memory that wouldn’t come. Why would I, a man who allegedly ran part of a business empire, care about matching a cane to some woman’s dress? It didn’t fit with everything I knew about myself.

After a moment, I set the cane back down and turned to look out the window at the sprawling estate grounds. The setting sun cast long shadows across

manicured lawns and gardens, painting the world in shades of gold and amber.

“So this is all mine, I murmured, more to myself than to Jack.

The idea was both intoxicating and suspicious. People like me–street rats pulled from the gutter–didn’t end up in mansions with legitimate businesses and pregnant wives. We ended up dead in alleys or, if we were lucky, running small–time operations in the shadows.

But if these people wanted me to believe I was Finn Sterling, heir to all this wealth and power, I could play along. I’d spent my entire life adapting to

survive.

“If they want to play this game,‘ I said quietly, “then I’ll play along. For now.”

In my world, everyone had an angle, everyone wanted something. The trick was figuring out what these people really wanted from me before they realized I

was or to them.

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