THE BILLIONAIRE'S SURROGATE BABY

Chapter 16

                      PHOENIX

  I hugged Camilla goodbye before heading into the living room, but I needed something from the kitchen first. As I entered the kitchen, I was taken aback to see somebody cooking, shirtless.

"Damn," I murmured to myself, feeling a rush of heat. The person resembled Rome, but I knew it couldn't be him. Rome would never be shirtless in his kitchen; he's too organized for that.

Approaching cautiously, I couldn't help but wonder who this person was. What if he's a thief? But that seemed unlikely.

"Um, who are you?" I finally mustered the courage to ask, prompting him to turn around.

My eyes widened in shock as I recognized him. "Rome??" I called out, still in disbelief. Why was Rome cooking? And why was he shirtless?

He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but feel even more bewildered. Why was he smiling? And what's with his hair? Did Jess do something to him? Is he sick?

I was utterly confused.

"Oh, I'm Romeo, not Rome," he clarified, still smiling.

"Romeo??" I repeated, still trying to process the situation.

"Yeah, I'm actually Rome's twin brother," he explained.

It was obvious now, but I had never known Rome had a brother, let alone a twin. And this one seemed like the more laid-back type.

                       ☠ROME☠

Rome studied the results once more, his lips pursed in thought. The baby appeared to be healthy.

He glanced at Jess, managing a smile as he reminded himself that regardless of his feelings towards the mother, he had to care for the baby.

With a heavy sigh, he returned Jess's wide smile, masking his inner turmoil.

"Want anything?" he asked as they neared a supermarket.

"No, thank you," she replied with a smile.

He dropped her off at her apartment before heading home. As he entered, he heard laughter coming from the living room, prompting him to quicken his pace. Upon arrival, he found his brother and Phoenix sitting on the couch, engaged in conversation and laughter.

He couldn't help but feel uneasy seeing her laughing at his brother's jokes. "Oh, the real Rome is here," Phoenix teased, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Hi, big brother," Romeo greeted, earning a scoff from him.

"You're making her laugh too much," Rome remarked to Romeo.

"What?" Romeo asked, laughing.

"That's going to hurt the baby," Rome stated.

"The doctor didn't say that, though," Phoenix interjected, earning a glare from Rome.

"How did you get in?" Rome inquired, turning his attention to his brother.

"Aww, aren't you happy to see your little brother?" Romeo teased, moving closer to Rome for a hug.

Rome considered his brother to be quite annoying, a perpetual pest in both his and Camilla's lives. He scoffed as Romeo continued to embrace him.

"This is so cute," Phoenix remarked, letting out a laugh, which only reaffirmed Rome's decision not to choose her as a surrogate mother.

"Enough, enough," Rome said, attempting to push Romeo away.

"I've been gone for so long, don't you miss me?" Romeo teased, releasing Rome from the hug.

"Maybe if you were less lousy and more..." Rome trailed off, unable to find the right words.