I Was Just A Passerby Carrying His Twin Heirs Chapter 13

I Was Just A Passerby Carrying His Twin Heirs Chapter 13

I blinked, taking a beat.

“No.”

Straight truth.

Ever since signing that contract, I hadn’t even added his phone number, let alone reached out.

Mrs. Vance didn’t buy it for a second.

“Then explain to me why Grant suddenly told Vivian he’s postponing the engagement.”

I stayed silent.

How the hell should I know?

“Mrs. Vance, that has nothing to do with me. You’d better ask Grant yourself.”

The line went dead silent for a few seconds.

When she spoke again, her voice dropped, loaded with pure upper-class disdain and a sharp edge of a threat.

“Josie Miller, I don’t care what little deal you signed with Grant. You are a surrogate-a temporary fix. Vivian

is Grant’s actual fiancée. Keep your head down.”

She almost choked on the word surrogate, swapping it out at the last second.

I caught it anyway.

I took a slow, deep breath.

“Mrs. Vance, I’m as low-profile as it gets. My daily routine consists of eating, sleeping, and going to prenatal

check-ups. I haven’t called Grant, I haven’t shown up at his office, and I couldn’t care less about his life

decisions. Whether he postpones his engagement is entirely his business.”

“If you’re still paranoid, feel free to put a 24/7 security camera right outside my front door. You’ll quickly see

that my thrilling lifestyle consists solely of binge-watching TV shows and eating takeout.”

Mrs. Vance went quiet.

“If that’s all, I’m hanging up.”

“My food’s here, and it’s getting cold.”

I ended the call.

I opened the front door and grabbed my delivery bag.

Tomato beef stew over rice.

I sat down on the couch and dug in when the floating text popped back up in my vision.

[Grant isn’t postponing the engagement because of Josie. The DNA report showed something extra-his genetic screen flagged an extremely high risk of male infertility. These twins are a literal medical miracle.]

[Meaning, these kids aren’t just his only heirs-they’re proof of a secret that could ruin him. He’s postponing

the engagement to buy time.]

[Buy time for what?]

[To secure absolute control before the rest of the Vance family sniffs out the truth.]

I chewed slowly, letting the floating words sink in.

So that was it.

He had a medical issue.

And the two tiny heartbeats inside me were his only shot.

No wonder…

No wonder he agreed to every single one of my demands without blinking.

He even thought $2,800 was laughable.

I set my fork down and rested a hand against my stomach.

“Look at you two,” I muttered under my breath.

“You’re priceless.”

“Too bad your mom isn’t. Your mom is just a broke, unemployed law school dropout in debt.”

“So don’t expect me to teach you high-society manners. I’m only qualified to teach you how to survive on

five-dollar grocery hacks.”

The floating text flashed one last line.

[The storm is coming. Gavin Vance-Grant’s cousin-finds out tomorrow.]

I didn’t know a Gavin Vance.

Sounds like a snakeskin-suit-wearing asshole anyway.

Whatever.

I’ll deal with it when it hits.

I finished my food, took a quick shower, and crawled into bed at precisely ten-thirty.

Pregnant women need their sleep.

The peace lasted exactly three days.

That afternoon, I was curled up on the couch watching a reality show when the doorbell rang.

I figured it was a package.

I pulled open the door-

A man stood on the porch.

Tailored suit, hair slicked back with obsessive precision, decent-looking face, but a smile that made my skin.

crawl.

It was a manufactured smile.

Like cheap hotel lobby air freshener-passable at first whiff, but totally synthetic.

“Miss Josie Miller?”

He spoke with an over-engineered friendliness.

I didn’t answer, keeping one hand firmly on the doorframe.

“Who are you?”

“Gavin Vance.”

He gave a polite little nod.

“Grant’s cousin.”

Here we go.

The storm the text warned me about.

I didn’t budge, keeping the doorway blocked.

“Can I help you?”

Gavin’s smile widened just a fraction.

“Don’t be nervous. I just wanted to drop by and introduce myself. We’re going to be family, after all.”

Family?

I stared at him, my expression blank.

“You’ve got the wrong house. I’m not your family. Grant and I just have a business arrangement.”

“A business arrangement?”

He let out a smooth chuckle.

“You’re funny, Miss Miller. Carrying my cousin’s babies isn’t just business.”

He craned his neck, trying to peek past me into the apartment.

“Living all by yourself? Grant doesn’t even come by to visit? Man, that’s…”

He shook his head, putting on a show of deep concern.

“Let me be real with you, Josie.”

His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.

“You think Grant cares about you? He only cares about what’s in your stomach. Once those kids are born, what good are you to him? His legal team will swoop in, and you won’t even get visitation rights.”

I leaned against the doorframe, watching his performance.

He kept going.

“I’m not trying to scare you. I’m here to offer a hand. Work with me, and I guarantee you’ll walk away with way more than a measly quarter-million-”

“Save it,” I cut him off.

His words caught in his throat.

“Done acting?”

His fake smile flickered.

“Gavin, right?”

I pulled the door inward, narrowing the gap between us.

“Whatever power struggle you and your cousin have going on, settle it yourselves. Keep me out of it. I’m not picking sides, and I’m sure as hell not playing Vance family politics.”

“I signed a contract with Grant. It’s all black and white. If you’re curious about the terms, go ask him.”

“And one more thing-”

I caught his eyes.

“Don’t call me family.”