You Are The Reason

YOU ARE THE REASON By Lady_B COMING SOON... Some people spend their lives searching for love. Others spend their lives running from it. This is the story of two people who never expected to become each other's reason. --- Meet Calani Harper Age: 30 Birthday: July 2, 1996 Dark-skinned. Intelligent. Gracefully confident. Born into generations of old wealth, Calani was raised by Nathaniel Harper and Celeste Harper, parents who taught her that character would always matter more than money. Luxury was never something to chase—it was simply the life she'd always known. As one of the world's leading International Crisis & Corporate Risk Consultants, Calani spends more time in airports than at home. Today she's in New York. Tomorrow she could be in Tokyo, London, Cape Town, or Dubai. Her work is demanding, unpredictable, and exactly the distraction she needs. Three years ago, the man she'd loved since she was nineteen shattered every dream she'd ever built when she discovered he was unfaithful while they were planning their wedding. Since then, Calani has made herself one promise: She will never love like that again. Standing beside her are the two women she calls family. Ava Bernard, her college best friend—the one who knows every version of Calani, from carefree university student to the guarded woman she is today. And Zuri Thompson, the brilliant corporate attorney she met during her very first international assignment. A friendship born through long flights, impossible deadlines, and unwavering loyalty soon became a sisterhood neither of them expected. They know one thing better than anyone else. Calani may travel the world... But her heart has remained in the same place for three years. Locked away. --- Meet Cassiel De Santis Age: 30 Birthday: September 18, 1996 Half Italian. Half African American. Entirely unforgettable. The son of Alessandro De Santis, founder of De Santis Technologies, and Monica Johnson-De Santis, a former software engineer whose brilliance helped shape the company from the beginning. As CEO of the New York division, Cassiel has transformed a respected family business into one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world. Calm under pressure, relentlessly ambitious, and impossible to intimidate, he leads with intelligence rather than ego. Success has never been difficult for him. Love is another story. At his side is Marco Rossi, his oldest friend and the company's Chief Technology Officer—a man whose loyalty has never wavered. And Nia Brooks, his lifelong best friend and Head of Global Communications. Sharp, fearless, and fiercely protective, she has stood beside Cassiel through every triumph and every setback. Together, they are the family he chose. --- She has convinced herself love is a mistake she'll never make twice. He has never met a challenge he wasn't willing to fight for. Neither of them knows that their lives have been connected long before they ever meet. And when fate finally brings them together... Everything they thought they knew about love, trust, and destiny will be tested. Because sometimes... The person who changes your life forever... Is the one you never saw coming. YOU ARE THE REASON A story about healing, trust, destiny... and discovering that the greatest love often begins when you've stopped looking for it. A Glimpse of What's to Come... The supermarket floor-to-ceiling windows bathing the aisles in warm afternoon sunlight. Shelves overflowed with fresh herbs, handmade pasta, imported chocolates, and vibrant flowers that perfumed the air. Calani Harper pushed her cart with quiet purpose, dressed in cream linen trousers, a fitted black tank, and gold hoops that caught the light each time she turned her head. Her dark curls were gathered into a low bun beneath oversized sunglasses resting atop her head. She looked effortlessly beautiful. Not because she was trying. Because she never had to. Halfway across the produce section, a pair of hazel-green eyes followed her. Cassiel De Santis had come in for a bottle of sparkling water after a morning of meetings. Instead... He forgot why he'd come. There was something about her. The confidence. The quiet elegance. The way she compared two avocados with the seriousness of someone negotiating a billion-dollar deal. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He walked over. "Excuse me." Calani glanced up briefly. "Hi." "I know this is forward, but I couldn't leave without introducing myself. I'm Cassiel." Her gaze lingered for exactly one second before returning to the label in her hand. "Congratulations." He blinked. "...Congratulations?" "You've introduced yourself." She placed the olive oil into her cart. "Have a nice day." Then she walked away. Just... Walked away. Cassiel stood frozen in the middle of the aisle while an elderly woman reached around him for tomatoes. No smile. No flirtation. Not even a second glance. For the first time in years... Someone had dismissed him as though he were no more memorable than the shopping basket in her hand. He watched her disappear around the corner. Then, despite himself... He smiled. "Oh, this is going to be interesting."