The Surrogate Student

Rosa Bianchi

A loud gasp escapes my lips when the dim car window rolls down to open and my eyes welcome a luxurious hotel named ‘Portrait Firenze’ with bold letters in front of me.

The loud gasp does not mean I’m impressed but deadly pissed.

I scrunch my nose and swiftly turn to stare at the man on my right just watching his stern face and I harshly say, “This is not what we agreed on Marcello.”

“It’s Mr. De Luca,” his facial expression is vile with the calculating eyes. He leans forward to my face and I don’t back away. I stare deeply into his piercing blue eyes with my own bright hazel ones. “You signed the contract Mrs. Bianchi so I would like for you to co-operate.”

“But-,” he swiftly shush me with his index finger crossing my moistened lips.

I watch him remove his finger and focus on buttoning his tailored matt suit and hops out of the car, but before that I open my lips again and escapes these words. “This is not the hospital Mr. De Luca. Didn’t we agree on taking me to hospital.”

“This surely means you did not read the whole contract Mrs. Bianchi,” he smirks and incline his body that I no longer see his face and shut the door.

A knock on my door side flinched me. His personal assistant looks so cold and soulless like his boss.

I mean, Marcello he’s not wrong. I didn’t have the time to read 5 pages of a contract as he explained it for me first before he could give me to read. Was it because I was too lazy to read or I was desperate to seize the opportunity in front of me before I lost it?

Marcello came to my life in a time of my desperation and he grabbed the opportunity.

I’ve been a smart girl for a while who would always focus on books than boys or even friends but mostly because I’m unwanted. Who would want to hang with someone who’s always broke.

I’ve excelled so well in my senior school and achieved excellent marks in my final senior year which led me to get a scholarship in University of Florence – not that the scholarship pays well anyway, but it keeps me going as a freshman student.

My scholarship only covers, my books, my rental stay as I stay in the cheapest shared flat and some of my fees and with the rest I struggle while my grandmother make sure to send me some of the food she sells in the market so I wont go hungry. She tries her best.

Marcello found me on the way to campus and approached me. I mean, it doesn’t take a minute for some student to see that I’m struggling, let alone a whole billionaire.

I reek of poverty a mile away and he reeks of wealth and power.

My bag ripped to open on the bottom and all my books just fell to the ground and to my surprise, he helped me to pick them up with pleasant smile appearing from his face.

All the eyes were on us and it felt so good to be helped and smiled at by the mysterious billionaire man.

“Hi,” he said while shaking my hand.

I flashed a smile back while saying, “Hi.”

“I’m Marcello De Luca and you are?” I loved how his deep and gentle voice sounded with the smile still contained on his face.

His piercing blue eyes would make one feel lost and never find a way out, with his slicked back dark blond hair while stylishly messy too, just exuding his chiseled jawline perfect on his tanned and smooth skin tone.

He stepped forward for our eyes to meet and lock even though he was looking under me as he looks tall, like 6’1” (185 cm) with lean, athletic body and broad shoulders while I’m only 5’6” (168 cm) slender and fit, yet bit curvy.

My lips trembled when saying, “I- I’m Rosa Bianchi.” His aura feels so confidence.

He widen his smile. “Beautiful name like the owner.” My heart tingle. He looks bit older but I find him attractive somehow. “How old are you Mrs. Bianchi?”

Gosh, my last names sounds so good escaping his lips.

“I’m 19 years,” I felt shy and hide my eyes away from his then I feel my chin being lifted up by his fingers.

He breathed to my face and his breath just reek of expensive mouth watch while his expensive cologne already engulfed my body smelling so right and rich then he said, “I have a proposal to offer to you. To change your life to better.” He gulped and bobbed his Adam’s apple. “Can you give me your contacts Mrs. Bianchi so we could discuss about the proposal later!?”

My brows are raised up. I mean, I’m just a freshman fashion designer student. I’m poor and my beauty don’t stand out or let alone my fashion designs are unknown. What could this billionaire man in front of could he want from me?

I narrowed my eyes just trying to think instead of asking him but my phone alarm rang to show how late I am to class.

Oh shoot.

I slip out my pen from my bag and stare at him then said, “Give me yours and I will contact when I’m done with my classes.”

He didn’t look displeased but impressed and he uttered his contacts while I’m writing them on my palm and once he was done, I jogged to the class.

A few hours after my four classes of the day.

My stomach rumbled just evidencing how poor I am.

I walked to the free tap to drink some water before going to the library and when I reached to the faucet, I opened it and nearly washed away the contract and my mind reeled of the man’s words.

I halted from drinking the water but closed the faucet. Slip out my phone from my short skirt pocket and enter the contacts in my phone and saved them as Mr. Marcello De Luca while I bit the insides of my cheek fighting with the thoughts of calling him or not.

Minutes went by that I started biting my nails too and finally I decided on sending him a message.

Me

Hi, Mr. De Luca this is Rosa Bianchi.

It didn’t take him a second to respond to my text.

Mr. Marcello De Luca

Where are you now Mrs. Bianchi? I would like to come pick you up to a nice restaurant and discuss about the proposal.

Shit.

My stomach rumbled with the thought of nice food in the nice restaurant.

I’ve never been to a restaurant, especially nice ones.

Me

Campus.

Mr. Marcello De Luca

Wait for me by the campus gates.

I quickly jogged and just feeling sweat and emptying my stomach even worse. I just didn’t want to make Marcello wait and lose interest.

I reached with some panting escaping my lips and a Rolls-Royce Phantom car – so black stops before my feet with the dim window rolls down at the back and the familiar handsome and charming face appears.

His PA or chauffeur opens the door for me. I trotted to the side and climb in with the immediate question from Marcello, “Are you starving?”

And my stomach answered him. He smiled at me. I pursed my lips trying to conceal my shyness.

The whole drive it was filled with silence and awkwardness as Marcello was busy swiping left and right and typing on his expensive phone screen and I just remained mute and played with my fingers and listening to my heart racing.

A few minutes later, we’ve reached the restaurant, and Marcello helped me out of the car and I can tell you that I do not fit in the restaurant. Everyone dressed elegantly. Tailored suits like Marcello’s and ladies with expensive dresses, jewelleries and hairstyles.

While, I don’t even own a watch on my wrist, with black and white converse shoes on. Blue jeans pocket short skirt and peach tight t-shirt and put on my dark brown hair into a messy bun and simple.

Everyone in the restaurant eyed me with the eyes of disgust and I don’t blame them but Marcello he’s a gentleman who did not make me feel like I less belong there.

“Have a sit,” he pulled out a chair for me and the restaurant is so bright as I feel too exposed. “I will order for you. Any allergies or food you don’t eat?”

I’m scared of using their many cutleries on the table rather than worrying about the allergies I don’t have.

I shook my head and he got it.

He ordered almost everything on the menu making my eyes glow.

“Eat then we’ll go through the contract while explaining,” he said while tucking the cloth to his white shirt and other one laid well on his thighs while I forgot to do any so I copied him.

Damn…. I ate like a slave that has been hungry for years.

After our food. The table cleaned. He put the brown file on the table and opens it before my eyes.

“This is a contract for me and you. I need a healthy young and good looking lady like you to give me an heir with the reward of 1 billion dollar. If you agree to sign, you’ll get your money 6 months after being pregnant knowing you didn’t abort the baby and the baby is perfectly healthy,” he says firmly but also gently while my lips are wide open as well as my eyes.

I mean, I only saw this in novellas and I didn’t know one day they will approach me.

“What if the baby isn’t healthy while I’m pregnant? Will you pay me less or just leave me like that?” my heart isn’t steady but racing.

“If the baby isn’t healthy, there are lots of professional doctors I know off, who will perform a successful abortion, but in the process of pregnancy, I will be paying your tuitions and a healthy place for your stay, only for 6-months with food and new clothes and transport to take you to campus, and just anywhere you’ll want to go, as long as you’ll make sure the baby stays safe and healthy so you won’t lose the 1 billion dollar.”

I gazed at him, and just fantasizing about the things I could do with the money. Just screaming inside – opening my grandmothers huge shop and build her a huge house and have workers to help her and takes a good care of her then pays my tuition for the whole years while I live lavishly. $ 1 billion it’s a lot, and getting pregnant for 9 months its nothing.

I mean, I just get pregnant, give birth and the baby won’t even be mine to take care of.

“You can go through the contract first before signing,” he said.

My eyes gaze down the contract. I pick it up, and scan it. I just, caught – Mrs. Rosa Bianchi, Mr. Marcello De Luca, $1 Billion, 6- months and Tuitions just everything he said.

I grabbed the pen and signed. Satisfied.