lelanidebbiee

After a fleeting one-night affair with a stranger, the wealthy and beautiful Lani  Carlisle finds herself the target of public scorn. The situation worsens when her father drove her out of the house. Driven by the pressure, Lani becomes a workaholic and hires a personal assistant to care for her kids. But everything changes when her daughter becomes deeply attached to him, even wishing he were her father.

As Lani unexpectedly falls for him, she faces judgment from both her family and society. Will she accept her fate, or fight for the love she desires?

Find out in "Unbreakable Ties"

Unbreakable Ties

Elias sat on the edge of the bed that night, staring at his reflection in the dark window. The conversation with James had replayed in his mind over and over again, each word cutting deeper than he wanted to admit.

James's voice echoed in his head, and for the first time in a long time, Elias found himself agreeing. What had he really done for Lani and the kids? Yes, they loved him, but love alone wasn't enough. He had almost died and left them behind. If he had, what would they have done?

Lani had been carrying most of the financial weight, working endlessly while he recovered. He hated it. He hated watching her do everything while he could barely contribute.

With that thought, he quietly pulled out his phone and started searching for jobs.

Over the next few weeks, Elias threw himself into job hunting—secretly. He didn't want Lani or the others to know until he had something solid. He wasn't just looking for any job. He wanted something real, something that could give his family a future.

But there was one problem—his health.

Despite the success of his surgery, he was still supposed to take it easy. The doctors had warned him that overworking himself could slow his recovery, but Elias ignored it.

Lani had sacrificed enough. It was his turn.

Day after day, interview after interview.

He applied everywhere—corporate offices, tech firms, even small businesses. But the gaps in his resume and his lack of a solid career background made it difficult. He had been out of work for too long.

"Sorry, but we're looking for someone with more experience."

"We appreciate your application, but the position has been filled."

"You have an impressive spirit, Mr. Reyes, but I'm afraid we need someone with a stronger background."

Elias clenched his fists every time he heard those words.

Lani started noticing small changes in Elias.

He would wake up earlier than usual, sometimes before dawn. He was always on his laptop or out of the house for hours at a time. He barely napped anymore, and when he did, it was only after he looked like he was about to collapse.

His appetite decreased, and more than once, she caught him rubbing his temples as if fighting off a headache.

At first, she thought he was just restless, maybe still adjusting after his surgery.

But then one night, she found him asleep at the kitchen table, his head resting on his folded arms, job listings open on his screen.

She gently ran a hand through his hair, realizing how exhausted he must be.

Lily was the first to notice something was wrong.

"Daddy looks tired all the time," she whispered to Luca one evening.

Luca frowned. "Yeah. And he's always leaving. Where does he even go?"

Leo, who was passing by, overheard them and decided to keep an eye on Elias too.

Days passed, and the signs became clearer—dark circles under his eyes, distracted expressions, forced smiles.

It wasn't just Lani and the kids who noticed.

"You've been acting weird," she told him one afternoon. "What's going on?"

Elias forced a chuckle. "Nothing. Just trying to stay busy."

And soon, they were all about to find out the truth.

Chapter 53: Proving Himself