Chapter 86

86 86. The Surrogate

Sarah’s round eyes stared at Linda in confusion. Her brows furrowed because she was not pregnant and not having a baby. How could the woman ask her to give up her baby if she didn’t even have one? Was that for the future? Did she ask her to become a surrogate mother for someone? Or something like that?

Sarah stopped thinking for a moment. She tried to connect the dots.

Baby? Handing over the baby to Clara? She wasn’t pregnant. Lea was the one who was pregnant at the moment.

However, there was no need to wait any longer, Sarah immediately understood what all this meant. Linda must have mistaken her for Lea, her pregnant sister.

“Ma’am, I actually-”

“If you are willing, I will immediately give you the cash today,” Linda said again when she saw the doubt on Sarah’s face. Since determined to carry out this plan, she did not plan to fail. She didn’t want a rejection as an answer even though Sarah didn’t seem like she would refuse the offer.

Linda then called someone. Moments later, a bodyguard came to the room carrying two standard-sized briefcases. Sarah could only watch because right now she felt like she was in a movie. Then, she glanced at the cookies beside her. Too bad, they should just serve caramel popcorn.

The bodyguard brought both briefcases to Linda and piled them on the table. There was a loud thud as the bodyguard stacked the briefcases. Looked so heavy. The man then retreated behind Linda’s chair, waiting for the next order.

“I have prepared the money in cash. Do you agree to my offer?” Linda asked again, hopefully.

.....

Sarah gulped. She wanted to say yes right away. However, she still felt guilty if she had to do something that was not her right to decide. She’s not Lea. This was a misunderstanding.

“But ma’am, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.” Sarah held up her hands, wanting to say she wasn’t Lea.

Unfortunately, Linda took it as a sign of objection. She immediately said, “Lea, I can understand that you object to this idea because the baby was your flesh and blood. However, you can try again next time with the man you love, right? This baby ... you didn’t plan to get pregnant, did you?” Linda looked at Sarah expectantly. Her eyes pleaded.

A sudden realization hit Sarah’s mind. Linda’s words made Sarah think that Lea would probably reject Linda’s request. It could be, Lea would be overthinking things, as she usually does. The baby was hers anyway.

Linda’s hand then flicked, asking her bodyguard to open the briefcase so Sarah could see firsthand that the money she was carrying was real. Usually, this method would work. Money was her only power.

Sure enough, Sarah’s eyes widened when she saw the two briefcases being opened one by one. It was the first time she had seen such a large amount of $100 bills. Sarah’s lips gaped, she was drooling over the sight. She didn’t expect that two million bills would look so tempting if they were piled up all at once, not just as handwriting that would increase in value if the zeros were added, just like in a math exercise.

“I really hope you don’t turn it down, Lea. Think about this carefully,” Linda persuaded her again. “As a bonus, I will transfer one hundred thousand a month to your account. I think that was enough to comfortably support your younger siblings, right?”

Sarah gulped. She looked at Linda in doubt. However, her mind convinced her to take this opportunity. This might be her only chance to earn two million, the money she currently needed for his mother’s hospital fees. After all, she would get it for free. Not a loan. As a plus, she would not have to work hard in the future to return the money.

What’s more, she and her family won’t even bother with part-time jobs anymore because that hundred thousand dollars a month would let them live comfortably without having to think about how to save the money for tomorrow. They would be able to focus on studying. All their daily needs would be covered with no worries.

Right. She couldn’t let go of this opportunity. She had to take it no matter what. Nothing should prevent her family from getting a decent life like other people. No one could get in the way, even Lea!

She would discuss things with Lea later when the problem was all over. The most important thing was her mother’s surgery. She wanted her mother back to health as before. Later, when conditions were under control, she would tell Lea everything. She would convince Lea that she was making the right decision.

“Okay, I agree, ma’am! I’ll give the baby to your daughter,” Sarah finally answered.

Linda smiled with satisfaction. She then handed Sarah the document to sign.

Trembling, Sarah read the document. It said that Lea would give all her rights as a mother to Clara. She would not see the child and kept herself away from Clara and her family forever. Lea had no right to say that she was the child’s biological mother.

“Before signing this, I want to make sure that Clara doesn’t know anything about this transaction,” added Linda cautiously. The middle-aged woman held Sarah’s hand, gripping it tightly. “You have to tell my daughter that you voluntarily gave up your baby to her, simply because you wanted the baby to live properly with her father. Tell Clara that you believe she can be a real mother to Dave’s child.”

Sarah’s heart stopped beating for a moment. She swallowed heavily. She wanted to say something, but the tightness in her chest didn’t allow her to do it.

“So, I ... have to do this, as if I’m a surrogate mother?” Sarah asked shakily. Her pink lips suddenly turned pale and dry.

Sarah’s hand, which was already holding the pen, could only stop. Could she sell Lea’s flesh and blood to the Deckers? Could she give up her unborn nephew to save her mother’s life?

“Right. You are a surrogate. I think that’s the best description of our agreement.”