UNEXPECTED LOVE

UNEXPECTED LOVE - CHAPTER 2

---

A few days later, Crishane was cleaning the swimming pool when Lian approached her.

"Crishane, right?" Lian said.

She was startled and turned around. "Yes, Sir?"

"Can we talk? About you and your family. Come, sit with me."

He walked toward the chairs near the garden. Crishane hesitated, then followed.

"What did you finish in school?" he asked.

"Grade 5 only, Sir."

"How old are you?"

"25, Sir."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Four, Sir. I'm the eldest."

"Why did you stop studying?"

Crishane looked down. "Because we are poor, Sir. I stopped so I could work and help my siblings go to school."

"What work did you do before?"

"Planting vegetables and selling them at the market."

"Then why work as a maid here?"

Crishane didn't answer immediately. She lowered her head.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lian asked, his tone softer.

"No, Sir," she said quietly. "It's just... my father had a stroke almost a year ago. And my mother... she is sick and needs an operation. We don't have money for the hospital."

Lian listened silently.

"Do you think your salary here can pay for that?" he asked gently.

"I know it's impossible, Sir. But I will try. I will save."

Lian paused. He looked at her for a long moment, as if weighing his words.

"Crishane, you know I don't have a child. My wife and I... we can't have one."

Crishane nodded. "Yes, Sir, I heard."

"I need an heir. A child of my own blood to inherit everything I worked hard for."

Crishane didn't understand where this was going.

"What if I help you?" Lian said carefully. "I will pay for your parents' hospital bills. I will pay for your siblings' education, and yours too. I will give your family a house and a small business so you won't have to worry anymore."

Crishane's eyes widened. "Sir... what do you mean?"

"I'm asking you to consider becoming a surrogate. You will carry my child."

Crishane stood up, shocked. "What? Sir!"

"Please, listen to me first," Lian said quickly, raising his hands. "I'm not forcing you. I would never force you. I'm asking you to think about it. You have the right to say no, and I will respect it. No one will hurt you or fire you if you refuse."

Tears started to form in Crishane's eyes.

"After you give birth, you can go home. You will sign a paper that the child will be raised as mine and Bishel's, legally. Your child's future will be secure. He will have everything."

"But... it will still be my child, Sir," Crishane whispered, crying.

"I know. I know it's hard. That's why I'm not asking for an answer now. Think about it. For your parents. For your siblings. And for your child... he will have a comfortable life."

Crishane couldn't speak anymore. She just cried.

"Go back to work for now," Lian said softly. "Take your time. The decision is yours."

She walked away, her heart heavy. Even though Lian didn't force her, she felt her dignity had been shaken. She cried all the way back to the maids' quarters.

---

Since then, Aling Dena noticed Crishane was always quiet.

One night, under the bright moon, Aling Dena sat beside her outside.

"Rish, can we talk?" she asked gently.

Crishane just hugged her knees.

"Can't sleep?"

"I can't, Ate."

"You're always quiet these days. Is there a problem? You miss your family?"

"I miss them, Ate. I don't have a cellphone to call them."

"Tomorrow I'll buy load so you can call them, okay?"

Crishane stared at the sky and stayed silent.

"Is that really all?" Aling Dena asked.

Crishane hesitated, then finally told Aling Dena everything about Lian's offer.

Aling Dena was shocked. "What? He asked you that? It's good he didn't force you. If he forced you, I would confront him myself! No parent would allow that!"

"I know, Ate," Crishane whispered.

"Don't think about it too much tonight. Sleep first, okay? We still have work early tomorrow."

"Okay, Ate."

They went inside.

The next morning, Crishane borrowed Aling Dena's phone and called her family. Her younger brother Cristoph, 22, answered.

"Ate, why did you call only now?" Cristoph said.

"Sorry, I just borrowed a phone. How is Nanay?"

"Ate... Nanay is in the hospital. She was rushed a few days ago."

"What?!" Crishane's hands shook. She quickly gave the phone back to Aling Dena and changed her clothes.

"Ate, I'm going to the hospital! Nanay was rushed!"

"Okay, take care!" Aling Dena shouted.

Crishane ran out, her heart pounding.

When Crishane arrived at the hospital, she called out for her mother even before the door was fully open.

"Nay!"

"Rish, my child," her mother said weakly from the hospital bed.

"Nay, how are you?" Crishane rushed to her side and held her hand.

"I'm okay now, anak. I want to go home."

"Ate, the doctor said Nanay is still weak, but she keeps insisting she wants to leave," said Carl, her 18-year-old brother.

"Nay, please get better first. You are still weak," Crishane pleaded.

"Anak, we can't stay here long. Where will we get money to pay the hospital? We have no one left to borrow from. We are already buried in debt," her mother said, tears in her eyes.

"Nay, don't worry about that. I will handle it," Crishane replied.

"Anak, where will you get money? We don't even have vegetables to sell anymore. We even sold our small land just to pay for your father's treatment," her mother cried.

"Ate, I will stop studying for now. I will find work to help you save money," said Cristoph, her brother.

"Me too, Ate. I will stop school and work," Carl added.

"No one will stop studying," Crishane said firmly, looking at her brothers. "We will be even poorer if you don't finish school."

"But Ate, you're suffering too much. You're carrying all our school expenses," Cristoph complained.

"Just a few more years and you will graduate. Especially you, Cristoph. Please don't stop. I will do everything so you can finish."

Her brothers fell silent, so Crishane hugged them tightly.

"Don't worry. I will take care of everything, okay?" She smiled, even though she was hiding the pain and sadness she felt. She didn't want her family to see how much she was struggling.

---

When Lian arrived home, he sat in the living room for a while. He noticed Crishane was not around.

He went to the kitchen.

"Sir, do you need anything?" Aling Dena asked.

"Where is Crishane? I haven't seen her," Lian asked.

"Ah, Sir, she went to the hospital early this morning. I'm actually worried, Sir. It's getting dark and she's not back yet," Aling Dena said worriedly.

"Why did she go to the hospital?"

"Her mother was rushed to the hospital, Sir."

"I see," Lian said, and quickly left.

A few moments later, Lian suddenly appeared at the hospital.

"Sir? Why are you here?" Crishane was shocked when she saw him near the exit door.

"How is your mother?" Lian asked.

"She's a bit okay now. Do you want to see her? Let's go to her room?"

"No, it's late. Maybe next time," Lian said.

"Okay, Sir."

"Let's go home. Get in my car."

"Ha?" Crishane was surprised.

"Let's go home. It's getting late."

"Okay, Sir," Crishane said softly, feeling shy.

Inside the car, it was quiet. After a few minutes, Lian broke the silence.

"I don't know if I should ask you again, but... maybe you will consider it now because of your situation," Lian said carefully.

Crishane just sighed.

"It's okay if you don't answer now," Lian added.

Silence filled the car again, until Crishane finally spoke, her voice shaking.

"I don't know why all of this has to happen to me," she said, tears falling as she wiped them with her hands.

Lian glanced at her for a moment and kept driving.

"I feel like I'm going crazy," Crishane whispered.

"If I were you, I would just accept my offer so your problems will be over," Lian replied quickly, not thinking about how his words would hurt her.

"You are so heartless to talk to!" Crishane snapped and turned to look out the window.

"You're being too dramatic," Lian said.

"You have no heart! I don't know why someone like you was even created in this world!" Crishane said angrily.

"Tssk, you don't know anything about my life, so you have no right to say that," Lian replied.

"Whether I have the right or not, I don't care!"

"Why are you talking like that? You forget I'm your boss," Lian said, his voice rising.

"I don't care if you're my boss if you don't care about my feelings!"

"Are you blaming me now?" Lian asked.

"You notice when other people hurt you with words, but you don't notice that your own words are crushing other people. Try putting yourself in other people's situation!"

"Are you ordering me around now? If your life is miserable because of your situation, don't take it out on me!"

"I'm not taking it out on you! You're just really hurtful with your words!"

"You poor people are so innocent, but you actually have nothing to show for it," Lian said coldly.

"Ah, so that's it? You rich people think so highly of yourselves because you have money and properties! You think you can buy life itself, but you can't even save your own life from death! So you, you arrogant, cruel rich man who thinks so highly of himself, please put it in your head that we all end up under the same ground!"

Lian was silent for a second, then he smiled. He didn't answer right away, as if he was amused by Crishane's anger.

"Relaaax. You're so angry now," he said, trying to laugh.

"Are you annoyed already? Haha," Lian teased.

Crishane didn't answer and just looked out the window.

"You remind me of someone," Lian said with a small smile. "She used to talk like that too. Exactly the same lines."

"Who wouldn't say that to you with your attitude?" Crishane snapped.

"Correction, I wasn't the one she was scolding."

Crishane fell silent.

"She was defending me from bullies when I was young," Lian said quietly. "If only she didn't die..."