UNEXPECTED LOVE

UNEXPECTED LOVE starts now! Lian and Bishel - married not for love but for business. No courtship, no love letters, no first love. Just a merger of two empires. And now the biggest problem: No heir. Lian wants his own blood to inherit everything. Bishel wants to adopt. Lian wants to find another woman to bear his child! Enter Crishane - 25 years old, simple, needs a job as a maid. Will she be the answer to Lian's problem? Or will she be the unexpected love he never believed in? Lian is cold and ruthless. Crishane is scared of him. But Aling Dena said he can be kind sometimes... If you want to know if Lian will really pay a woman to give him a child please continue reading enjoy Lian and Bishel didn't marry for love. Their marriage was a business decision — arranged by their parents to merge two powerful companies into one unstoppable empire. They skipped everything normal couples had. No courtship. No boyfriend-girlfriend stage. No love letters, no first love. Especially for Lian. Lian never believed in love. He was cold, ruthless, and insensitive to everyone except his work. To him, love was a distraction. Business was the only thing that mattered. But after years of marriage, one problem never went away. They had no child. And Lian was obsessed with having an heir. "Do we really have to fight about this every time?" Bishel snapped, her voice sharp with annoyance. "It's clear we can't have a child!" "I need an heir, Bishel. Someone who will inherit everything when I'm gone," Lian said calmly while buttoning his shirt. "Then adopt. That's simple. There are hundreds of kids in orphanages." "It's not the same," Lian replied. "It's different when it's your own blood." Bishel laughed bitterly. "So what now? You're going to find another woman to give you a child? Is that it?" "If I have to," Lian said, grabbing his jacket. His voice was flat, as if he was talking about a business deal. "Do you think I would ever allow you to have a child with another woman?" Bishel's voice rose. Lian didn't answer. He just walked out. "Hey! Lian! I'm not done talking to you! Liaaaan!" Bishel shouted after him, but the door had already slammed shut. --- Lian and Bishel both worked at the company, which meant the big house was always left to the maids. "Madam," Aling Dena called softly from the living room doorway. Bishel was sitting on the sofa, scrolling on her phone. "Yes?" "There's a woman outside. She wants to apply as a maid. She said she really needs the job." "Let her in." A moment later, a young woman entered, head bowed slightly. Her clothes were simple but clean. "What's your name?" Bishel asked, looking her up and down. "Crishane, Ma'am." "Age?" "25, Ma'am." "Can you do hard work?" "I'll do my best, Ma'am. I really need this job." Bishel stared at her for a second, then nodded. "We need one more. You're hired." Crishane's face lit up. "Thank you so much, Ma'am!" "Aling Dena, give her a uniform," Bishel ordered. "Yes, Ma'am," Aling Dena replied. Bishel turned back to Crishane. "You will be assigned outside. Clean the swimming pool, the playground, and water the plants. Understood?" "Yes, Ma'am," Crishane said eagerly. Bishel stood up and went to her room without another word. --- The next morning, Lian was standing by the window of his room. Down below, he saw the new maid watering the plants. There was something familiar about the way she moved, but he ignored it. At breakfast, he sat across from Bishel. "Who is she?" Lian asked. "Crishane. Our new maid," Bishel answered without looking up. "You hired her without my permission?" "I don't need your permission to hire a maid for this house," Bishel said sharply. "Since when did you care about what happens at home anyway? All you care about is work." Lian clenched his jaw. She was right, and it stung. He changed the topic. "Dad and Tito called. It's about our business in America. One of us needs to go there next month." "For how long?" Bishel asked, wiping her mouth with a tissue. "Maybe a year. Depends on how fast we close the deal." "Then you go," Bishel said, standing up. "You love that business more than I do. Our business here in the Philippines is more important to me." Lian was surprised. "Why me? I have a lot to handle here too!" "You know why," she said and walked away. Lian stood there for a moment, frustrated, then called out. "Aling Dena!" "Yes, Sir?" Aling Dena rushed over. "Call Crishane." "Yes, Sir." Aling Dena went outside to the garden. "Crishane, Sir Lian is calling you. Hurry." "Huh? Okay!" Crishane quickly let go of the hose. Aling Dena whispered, "Be careful, okay? He's grumpy today." Crishane walked nervously toward Lian. "You called me, Sir?" "What did Bishel ask you to do?" "I'm assigned outside, Sir. Swimming pool, playground, and plants." "Is that all?" "Ah... yes, Sir." "Add my cars to your duties. Start with my car now, I'm in a hurry." "Ah, okay, Sir," she said, panicking a little. Lian left for work without another glance. --- That evening in the kitchen, Aling Dena noticed Crishane was quiet while eating. "Are you okay? You look like you're thinking of something," Aling Dena asked. "Huh? Ah, yes, Ate," Crishane said, snapping out of her thoughts. "I was just thinking about Sir Lian. He looks like he has a lot on his mind." Aling Dena laughed softly. "You can say that again. Just be careful around him." "It's a bit scary when he gives orders," Crishane admitted. "You'll get used to it. He can be kind sometimes, too." Crishane sighed. "I don't know if I'll last long in this house." "That's the life of a maid, child. Just be patient." --- A few days later, Don Mart and Don Larry called both of them into the office. "Good morning," Lian greeted, shaking their hands. "Morning, Dad, Tito," Bishel greeted. "Sit down," Don Mart said seriously. "It's about our business in America." "We already talked about it, Tito. Lian will be the one to go," Bishel said quickly. "Are you sure, Lian?" Don Mart looked at him. "Yes, Dad." "And what about the heir?" Don Mart asked. "When will you give us a grandchild?" Both Lian and Bishel fell silent and looked at each other. "About that... maybe we really can't have a child," Lian finally said. "That's not a big problem," Don Larry said. "It's easy to find a baby. Just adopt." "That's what I told him too, Dad," Bishel added, glancing at Lian. "There are so many kids in orphanages." "Why not do that, Lian?" Don Mart suggested. "No, Dad," Lian refused firmly. "Why?" "We worked so hard for this company. Then we'll just give it to a stranger?" "Lian, a child is innocent. If you love him as your own, he will love you as his father," Don Mart explained patiently. "But it's still different when it's your own flesh and blood," Lian insisted. "So what do you want to do?" Bishel snapped, standing up. "Find a woman I can pay to give me a child," Lian said coldly. "What? Are you joking?" Bishel laughed in disbelief. "I'm not." "That is the most stupid decision I've ever heard!" Bishel shouted. "Are you sure about that, Lian?" Don Mart asked, frowning. "Yes." "And do you think I will allow you to have a child with another woman?!" Bishel screamed. One day, Lian and Bishel came home arguing again. Even inside the house, their voices echoed through the hallway until they slammed the door to their bedroom. The maids exchanged looks. "What happened to them?" Crishane whispered to Aling Dena in the kitchen. "Get used to it," Aling Dena sighed. "In all my years here, I've never seen them talk without fighting." "They don't look like husband and wife at all." "They're not, really. Not in the way that matters. No sweet moments. Only fights." "Then why did they get married?" "Arranged marriage. Parents decided. Especially Sir Lian... that man doesn't know how to love." Crishane nodded slowly and went back to work. ---