Page 45 of The CEO Alpha’s Substitute Mate

“We did. Her clearance checked out. We had an information file, including her pictures, but all her records were destroyed when our systems went down the same night.”

“That’s not suspicious.”

“You’re implying your sister did something to cause it?”

“I’m implying nothing of the sort.” I put the throw down. “You expect me to believe my sister just waltzed out of that clinic so heavily pregnant, and people just let her? What kind of clinic was it anyway? Was it one of those where the women stay there?”

“It was a sort of hostel situation. The women had rooms they could stay in.”

“Wow, no wonder she signed up for it.”

“There was a blackout in the building, and she slipped out during it.” His voice doesn’t move off the same note. “She was not there for her next checkup, and nobody noticed. By the time we did, the blackout had wiped out most of our hard drive. There was a bad thunderstorm that night. So it was a coincidence.”

“I’ve never believed in coincidence, and I don’t think you do either.” I look up at him. “A thunderstorm might be a reason for a blackout, or it might not be. Have you ever considered that somebody might have helped my sister get out?”

“I have considered every possibility.”

His face gives me nothing. What I catch is the half-second in front of it, where he looks somewhere else and comes back.

I go into my room for the rest of Luca’s things, and when I come back out with my arms full, he’s standing at the shelf looking at the photographs. I pick up the framed pictures and add them to the bag.

“I’m curious though.” I look up from where I’m stuffing some things in the bag. “Why surrogacy? Why not find another wife?”

He turns to look at me, and I realize how insensitive my question was. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound—”

For once he gives me an actual answer. “I am not an easy person to live with.”

No shit, I think to myself.

“Elena was from a similar family to mine. She was a good match. We were together for five years before she passed away. She was gentle, well-bred, well-spoken. She was everything a man like me needed to stand by his side.”

I zip the bag and don’t look at him because the back of my throat has gone sour about a dead woman. A good match. Well-bred, well-spoken, and the rest of it. I could write out all of what I am on one side of a napkin, and not one line would reflect any of that.

“I chose a surrogate because I don’t intend to take another wife. Elena was it for me.”

I give a small smile. “You still love her.”

His firm response has me looking up, and he meets my gaze. “We were a good match.”

A good match is not the same thing as love, but then again, considering that Callum has the emotional range of an icicle, I shouldn’t be surprised.

“Mom, are we taking these?” Luca points at the wine bottles on the kitchen shelf.

“Oh.” I quickly hurry over and pick them up. “I forgot about these.”

Callum studies the label and frowns. “I don’t know this brand.”

“That’s because it’s not in your tax bracket,” I tell him. “I got these two years ago. They weren’t cheap. I was planning on saving them for a good occasion.”

I’m about to pack them when Callum stops me. “We have better ones at the estate.”

“Congratulations. You can drink those. These are mine.” I put them in another bag and then look around. “Well, I think that’s all. Let’s go.”

As we’re walking out, the door opens, and a woman walks in.

“Ariela?” She looks at me, the bags in my hand, and then at Callum. “What’s going on?”

Oh shit.