The Surrogate He Discarded

Richard stood on the balcony of his penthouse, one hand resting against the cold glass railing. The city stretched beneath him in a glittering sea of lights, every skyscraper a testament to the capital’s remarkable prosperity. In many ways, it rivaled—even surpassed—Shangville.

The capital had changed compared to years ago when he was stilll at the orphanage.

But the dazzling skyline wasn’t what kept sleep from claiming him long after midnight.

It was Isobel.

The memory of her kidnapping gnawed at him like a persistent wound. From the very beginning, he had suspected his aunt’s involvement. Still, suspicion wasn’t enough. He needed proof.

So he dug deeper.

Hacking had always come naturally to him. Even as a boy, computers had made sense in a way few other things did. While others spent years learning code, Richard seemed to instinctively understand the logic behind it. Breaking through digital walls was simply another puzzle waiting to be solved.

It was a gift he had passed on to Isobel.

He had been the one to introduce her to computers years ago. She had amazed him from the very beginning.

Richard only had to explain something once before she grasped it completely. Before long, she wasn’t merely keeping up with him—she was improving on his methods, writing cleaner code, spotting vulnerabilities he had overlooked, and occasionally outsmarting him altogether.

The thought tugged at the corner of his mouth, but the faint smile disappeared as quickly as it came.

Richard had reviewed the surveillance footage from the Learson mansion frame by frame. Then he hacked into his aunt’s phone records, tracing every call, every message, and every digital breadcrumb she had carelessly left behind.

What he uncovered made his blood run cold.

It was Su San.

His own aunt had orchestrated Isobel’s kidnapping.

For one foolish moment, he believed she had changed—that she had finally accepted his decision about Isobel.

Instead, she remained the same manipulative woman who had once threatened Isobel’s life to bend him to her will.

A bitter laugh escaped him.

Some people never changed.

Richard poured himself a glass of Johnnie Walker and emptied it in a single swallow. The smoky liquor burned a path down his throat before settling into a slow, comforting warmth in his chest. He welcomed the sting. Tonight, he needed a clear mind more than a steady one.

How should he deal with her?

He could hand everything over to Morgan Foster. The evidence was undeniable. The moment Morgan learned the truth, Su San’s fate would be sealed. Mercy was not a word in Morgan’s vocabulary.

But she was still his father’s sister—his aunt. A tie of blood he had never chosen, yet one he couldn’t simply cast aside.

Despite everything she had done... despite every line she had crossed... that single truth was undeniable and a restraint on him.

Richard poured another drink and stared at the neon lights shimmering across the city below. Cars streamed through the streets like rivers of molten gold, oblivious to the storm brewing above them.

He swirled the amber liquid in his glass before finishing it in one long drink.

His jaw tightened.

He knew exactly what he had to do.

...

The following morning, Richard arrived at the office an hour earlier than usual.

His car rolled to a stop before The Spire, the iconic fifty-story headquarters of the Learson Group. A ten-story vertical fin crowned the tower, a bold architectural statement that had once dominated Novare’s skyline.

Time, however, had a way of humbling even giants. Aioryx and Dalton Tower now stood taller, their glittering silhouettes casting long shadows over what had once been the city’s undisputed landmark.

Even so, to Richard, The Spire was more than steel and glass.

It was a monument to the Learson legacy.

His grandfather had laid its foundation. His father had expanded the empire it represented. Every floor, every beam, every pane of glass had been built through decades of sacrifice, ambition, and relentless hard work.

Then came the bloody clan war.

In a single night, the Learson family had been torn apart, leaving behind a company on the brink of collapse.

Had it not been for Su San, the Learson Group might have disappeared with them.

Richard would never deny her that.

While others mourned or fled, she stood her ground. She took control of a company drowning in grief and uncertainty, fought off predatory rivals, silenced shareholders who had already written the Learsons off, and rebuilt the empire piece by piece. It was during those brutal years that she earned the title everyone in Novare and Shangville knew by heart—

The Iron Woman.

Perhaps that was when she had changed.

Power had demanded sacrifices. Survival had required ruthlessness. Somewhere along the way, the woman who had saved the Learson legacy had become someone willing to destroy anyone she believed threatened it.

...

The following morning, Richard came early.

He didn’t bother knocking. He pushed open the door to the chairwoman’s office and stepped inside.

As expected, Su San was already there.

She sat behind her immaculate mahogany desk, reading through the morning’s emails. A porcelain cup rested beside her laptop, wisps of steam still rising from the freshly brewed coffee.

Without looking up, she said, ”You’re early today.”

Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall.

7:30 a.m.

She herself had arrived half an hour earlier, as she always did.

Richard didn’t answer.

He walked past her desk and stopped before the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city sprawled beneath him, its endless streams of traffic weaving through the streets like veins carrying lifeblood through the capital.

His hands remained tucked inside his pockets.

”Aunt...” His voice was quiet enough to be mistaken for casual conversation. ”You should never have touched her.”

Su San’s fingers tightened around the coffee cup. Slowly, she set it back onto its saucer.

She had already heard. The kidnappers were dead. Every single one of them, except for one.

She had expected Richard to be furious. She had even prepared herself for his accusations.

But this unnerving calm...it frightened her far more than anger ever could.

”I only wanted to teach her a lesson,” she said, forcing her voice to remain steady. ”I never ordered anyone to kidnap her. Those men misunderstood my instructions.”

Silence.

Richard continued staring through the glass, his expression reflected faintly against the morning skyline.

Then he let out a quiet laugh. One soft, humorless chuckle. Finally, he turned to face her.

His eyes were devoid of warmth.

”You let them misunderstand you Aunt.”

Su San blinked. For the first time in years, uncertainty crept into the Iron Woman’s face.

Richard reached into his coat and placed a thick brown envelope on her desk.

It slid across the polished wood until it stopped in front of her coffee cup.

”What is this?” she asked.

”Open it.”