AT THE SAME TIME
ISABELLA
Dr. Mercer slid the file across the desk toward me, his pen tapping against the folder with a steady rhythm.
"Since you've chosen assisted insemination." He said, his tone smooth, calm, but with that ever present edge of calculation. "The next step is selecting your donor."
I swallowed, my throat dry, my palms pressing against my skirt.
"Right… I suppose that's… important."I whispered.
He gave a faint smile, though it didn't quite soften the weight of his gaze.
"Very important. Genetics are not just biology, they're legacy. A child is built not only from you, but from the blueprint of another. So, Ms. Hart… tell me. What do you want that blueprint to look like?"He asked.
My breath caught.
"You mean… like eye color? Hair? Height?"I asked, cpmfused.
"All of that, and more." He replied smoothly.
He opened a thin booklet and handed it to me. The glossy pages contained neat sections to mark preferences eye color, hair color, height, education, health history. Blank spaces that felt far heavier than they should have. The pen felt heavy in my hand as I stared at the empty boxes. I had always assumed… it would be random. Anonymous. Something I wouldn't need to think about too much. But here, it felt deliberate. As though I were being asked to design the ghost of my future child.
"Blonde or black hair? Blue or green eyes? Athletic? Intellectual?" Dr. Mercer's voice was calm, almost soothing, but each word sank into me like a stone.
I hesitated.
"I don't… I don't know. It feels strange to… pick like this."I muttered.
"Strange." He murmured. "But necessary. You're not just creating a child, you're choosing the kind of future you want bonded to you forever." His eyes flicked up, sharp, piercing. "So, Isabella. What do you want?"
I chewed the inside of my cheek, my pen trembling against the page. Blonde hair. Green eyes. The words came unbidden, my hand moving before my brain caught up. My heart stuttered as I realized what I'd written. That was… Xavier. Not Richard. Not the man who betrayed me with my step sister. My ex's features had never been the dream I wanted to pass on. But Xavier's… I froze, staring at the ink as though it had betrayed me. Dr. Mercer's mouth curved into a subtle, knowing smirk.
"Interesting." He murmured, leaning back in his chair. "So you do have someone in mind."
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
"N-no. I mean, I didn't mean… I just… it's what I pictured."I whispered. "It was long time ago."
"Of course." He said softly, as though indulging me, though his eyes glittered with something unreadable. "Sometimes our hands reveal the truths our mouths won't." He tapped the page lightly with his pen. "Very well. Blonde. Green eyes. Strong genetics. Noted."
My heart pounded. I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling, as though he knew more than I wanted him to. Mercer closed the folder with precise finality.
"I'll prepare the file. When the donor match is ready, we'll proceed." He paused, studying me with that unnerving, unreadable gaze. "And remember, Ms. Hart… sometimes the right choice finds you, even if you don't realize you've made it yet."
The way he said it made my skin prickle. He tucked the paper neatly into the folder, sliding it closed with a quiet click.
"That will be all for today. You've done well, Ms. Hart. We'll begin processing your preferences immediately."He said.
I nodded, exhaling shakily as I stood. The room suddenly felt smaller, as though his words lingered in the corners, pressing down on me even as I left. The nurse opened the door for me, and I stepped into the cool, dim hallway. Relief mixed with unease. Blonde hair. Green eyes. Why had I written that? Why had I thought of him? My childhood best friend, who probably no longer remembers me anymore? By the time I left the clinic, the evening air hit me like a splash of cold water. I pulled my coat tighter and walked quickly back toward the hotel, not noticing the faint outline of a figure watching from across the street.
AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER
The moment her footsteps faded, I stepped from the shadowed corner and into Mercer's office without knocking. He stiffened immediately, his jaw tightening, but didn't dare protest as I moved closer.
"Mr. Stoneheart." He said carefully, voice a little too polite. "You shouldn't be-"
I cut him off by plucking the folder from his desk, snapping it open before he could stop me. My eyes devoured the page. Blonde. Green eyes. A slow smile curled my lips.
"So she remembers."I whispered. "But she clearly doesn't regonize me yet."
Mercer's eyes narrowed.
"That's confidential. I can't-"He started.
"You will." I interrupted, my voice low, precise, leaving no room for argument. I closed the folder with deliberate slowness, setting it back on the desk. "I own this building. Every light, every machine, every salary paid in this place runs because I allow it. Do you understand?"
Mercer swallowed hard, his hands clenching behind the desk. He was a man who liked control, but right now, he had none.
"You don't understand what you're-"Doctor started.
"I understand perfectly." I said softly, leaning forward, my gaze pinning him in place. "She chose me. Without knowing. Without seeing. Her instincts remembered what her mind tried to bury. And you, doctor…" I let the silence hang before smirking faintly. "You're going to honor that."
His face twisted with discomfort, but he didn't move, didn't argue further. He was trapped, and we both knew it.
"Stoneheart…" He tried again, his voice quieter, almost pleading. "This is not how the process works. There are… protocols."
I straightened, brushing an invisible speck from my sleeve, my expression calm, composed, almost pleasant.
"Protocols bend. People break. But me?" I smiled thinly. "I always get what I want."
The silence stretched between us. Mercer's eyes flicked to the closed folder, then back to me. He was angry, cornered, but powerless.
"Good man." I murmured finally, turning toward the door. "Keep her safe. Keep her believing this is all… chance." I glanced back once, my voice dropping low, intimate, dangerous. "The rest… is mine to handle."
Then I left, the echo of my footsteps filling the hallway like a promise.