A Wrong Surrogate for the CEO-Chapter 48: A deal to get rid of Lara

Tolu was boiling with rage.

She could not believe her ears, could not dare to believe what Mike was even talking about. Of course she hated Lara, they both did.

And no one wanted Lara to be happy. Misery was all that woman deserved. And Tolu had been understanding about his rage with the fact that she was pregnant and married.

But to stand there and watch him go green with jealousy even after she was right there with him, trying to comfort him?

That was unacceptable. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

She stormed into her office without caring about the looks people gave her from the corridor. Slamming her bag on her desk, Tolu ran a hand through her hair and had to strongly tamp down the urge to scream her lungs into the void.

Mike was still in love with Lara.

Her own man, the one she had fought tooth and nail for, was still in love with his ex wife.

In what universe was that supposed to happen? The image of him standing there and speaking about Lara like she was...like she was the very fucking bane of his existence made her want to smash something into the wall.

But she was at work, and doing something like that would lead to an inquiry. Possibly a fired notice.

So she had to keep fighting the urge. Over and over.

Someone knocked on her office door and walked in without being invited.

"Hello, Tolu Greg."

Tolu whirled around at the sound of the intruder, her eyes blazing with anger.

The woman who spoke was an elderly person. She dressed elegantly and exuded confidence. But at that moment, all of those observations did not matter to Tolu.

"And who the hell do you think you are, walking into my office like that?" Tolu snapped, not giving a damn about courtesy.

The woman gave a slight smile and stopped forward.

"Forgive me. I am Lisa Rodney," she stated simply as she introduced herself.

Tolu was about to tell the woman to go to hell when the woman’s last name resounded in her head.

Unable to believe her ears, she calmed down enough to ask.

"Rodney?"

Lisa nodded.

"That’s right. I am Lisa Rodney, and my son, Curtis, is the owner of this company."

All the anger fled out of Tolu at that realization. Shame and embarrassment burned through her. She could not believe that she had snapped at someone so... influential.

Her cheeks turned red from shame.

"I am so sorry, ma’am. I am very very sorry about my reaction when you walked in. Please, forgive me. I had no idea who you were and I was going through... something personal and although all of my reasons are not good enough to pass for nothing but excuses, I am very sorry regardless."

Tolu knew that she was rambling, but she didn’t know how to stop.

Lisa, who was not angry at all, smiled at Tolu.

"It’s absolutely fine, Tolu. Really. There’s nothing to worry about. I understand the angle from which you’re coming from," she stated in a reassuring manner.

Tolu, who was still not convinced, was about to apologise again when Lisa raised her eyebrows at her.

"If you apologise one more time, I am going to get you fired. I have better things to do with my time," she quipped. And that shut Tolu up instantly.

Lisa took a seat, and Tolu gingerly sat on the chair before her.

"What would you like me to offer you?" she asked. Lisa waved the question away.

"Nothing. I’m alright, and I can’t stay long anyway. I just need to discuss something very important."

Tolu’s breath caught. What could Lisa Rodney, wife to one of the most influential men in the State, hell, one of the richest women in the entire country, possibly have to talk to her about?

Her heart started to pound against her chest with excitement, but she said nothing. She waited patiently for Lisa to talk.

Lisa took a deep breath, and her expression morphed into one of deep seriousness.

"I am here to talk about a woman known as Lara Edmund."

The excitement in Tolu’s heart died a swift, brutal death. Disbelief slammed into her like an avalanche, and she unwittingly fisted her hands.

This woman had approached her just to talk about Lara?

Seriously?

Why the hell was everyone fucking concerned about that bitch?

Lisa, who was oblivious to the battle raging inside Tolu’s head, continued to speak.

"That woman has made some decisions that did not please me. I went to her and asked her to...back off. But she’s stubborn. And I need to get rid of her. So I did my research. And it turns out that my son is not Lara’s first victim. You and your husband, Mike, have been subjected to her evil ways too. I think we both need to work together to fight her off," Lisa explained.

Tolu said nothing at first, taking a few moments to let Lisa’s words sink into her brain.

One particular statement stood up to her though.

"Hold on a moment, please. When you say your son is not Lara’s first victim, what exactly did you mean by that?" she asked.

Lisa took another deep breath.

"Can I trust you to keep this conversation a secret between us?" she asked. Tolu nodded eagerly.

"Of course. Absolutely."

"Lara is married to my son, Curtis. And apparently, she says she is pregnant for him too."

Tolu’s world exploded into a world of debris. There was a loud ringing in her ears, and for a long, unending moment, all she could see was the wedding ring on Lara’s finger and the small bump on her stomach.

Lara. Married to, and pregnant for, Curtis Rodney.

How on earth did that even happen?

A wave of jealousy mixed with unrighteous anger threatened to drown Tolu. She could not believe her ears.

Lara. Stupid, foolish Lara. And the dream man of every woman in the entire country. Together.

Fate, life, the universe, or whatever was in charge of how people’s life turned out was a bitch.

Lisa nodded at the expression of sheer disbelief on Tolu’s face.

"I think you understand what I am here for now. I can not sit back and let such a loose, shameless slut take advantage of my son. She’s a gold digger, and I am determined to get rid of her as soon as I can. Curtis needs to be free from her influences."

Tolu leaned forward, her blood thrumming with harsh anticipation.

"What do I need to do?" she asked. Lisa leaned in towards her and smiled.

"We need to work hand in hand to get rid of her. If you help me, I will give you anything you want," the older woman promised.

Tolu’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Anything?" she asked just to confirm.

Lisa nodded once. "Anything."

And just like that, the deal to get rid of Lara was made.