Elias hesitated before responding, gripping his phone tightly.
"Yeah," he finally said, his voice even. "Where?"
"My office. Now," Lani said.
She hung up before he could say anything else.
Elias exhaled slowly, pushing off his motorcycle. His chest felt heavy, an unsettling feeling gnawing at his gut. Lani's tone hadn't been angry, but it wasn't neutral either.
Something was off.
And Elias had a sinking feeling that whatever she wanted to talk about would change everything.
---
At Lelani Tech Corp
Lani sat at her desk, staring at an old photo album on her computer. It was full of pictures of Lily and Luca growing up. Her eyes flickered between a photo of Lily at five years old and a recent one of Elias. On her drawer was the DNA test of the both of them.
Why didn't I notice it sooner?
The shape of their eyes. The way they both furrowed their brows when thinking. Even the way they smirked—it was all too similar.
She didn't want to jump to conclusions. But at the same time, she couldn't ignore it anymore.
A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Come in," she called.
Elias stepped inside, his usual calm expression in place. He closed the door behind him, walking over to stand in front of her desk.
"What's this about?" he asked, voice steady.
Lani studied him, searching for something. A reaction. A slip-up.
Instead, he just stood there, waiting.
She took a breath. "Luca said something this morning."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"
"He asked me if I was sure you were just their babysitter."
Something flickered in Elias' eyes—too fast for Lani to catch.
But she felt the shift.
"That's an odd thing to say," Elias murmured.
Lani leaned forward. "Leo made a joke that you and Lily look alike."
Elias stayed silent.
Lani didn't stop. "And it's not just Leo. Luca has noticed too. And now that I'm looking closer…" Her voice dropped, almost to a whisper. "I'm noticing it too."
A tense silence stretched between them.
Elias' jaw tightened, but his face remained unreadable. "And?"
Lani swallowed. "Tell me the truth, Elias."
He met her gaze, his dark eyes unreadable. "The truth about what?"
Her heart pounded. "Are you Lily and Luca's father?"
Elias didn't answer immediately. Instead, he exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, he said, "Do you want me to be?"
Lani stiffened. "That's not an answer."
Elias' expression darkened slightly. "You're asking me as if I had a choice in the matter."
Lani's breath hitched.
Elias leaned forward slightly, his voice quieter now. "You think I don't see it too? Every day? The way she looks at me? The way she trusts me?" He let out a bitter chuckle. "You think I don't feel it in my gut?"
Lani's grip on the desk tightened. "So you do know something."
Elias straightened, expression unreadable again. "No," he said simply. "But I feel it."
Lani's world spun.
This wasn't just a theory anymore.
It was real.
Her children's father—the man from that night—was standing right in front of her. She handed the test over to him and he just looks at it and drops it on the table back.
And he had no idea.
Lani's hands clenched into fists beneath her desk. Her heart pounded so hard it echoed in her ears.
"You feel it?" she repeated, her voice sharper than she intended.
Elias didn't flinch. "Yes."
Lani swallowed, trying to steady her emotions. "You don't remember that night, do you?"
Elias' expression didn't change, but something in his posture shifted. A tension in his shoulders.
"No," he admitted after a long pause. "But I remember waking up in a motel, confused as hell, with no idea how I got there."
Lani inhaled sharply.
He didn't remember.
That meant… he had no idea what really happened.
She leaned back in her chair, staring at him. Her mind raced. Should she tell him? Could she?
"I remember everything," she said instead, her voice barely above a whisper.
Elias' gaze sharpened. He stepped closer to the desk, his hands resting on the edge. "Then tell me."
Lani hesitated.
Could she really drop this bombshell on him now?
Could she handle the fallout?
She took a deep breath.
"That night… we met in a bar. You were drunk, Elias. Too drunk to remember me. Too drunk to even walk straight."
Elias' brow furrowed, but he didn't say anything.
Lani continued, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.
"I wasn't planning on staying with you. I just wanted to forget something." She exhaled sharply. "Vanessa had just betrayed me. I was reckless."
Elias was completely still now. His dark eyes locked onto hers.
"You weren't in any condition to make decisions that night," Lani continued, her voice softer. "And I should have walked away. But I didn't."
Elias' fists clenched. "Are you saying—"
"I didn't take advantage of you," Lani cut in quickly. "I stopped before it got that far. But… something still happened."
Elias stared at her. "And that something led to Lily and Luca?"
Lani nodded, her throat tight.
The weight of her words settled between them like a boulder.
Elias exhaled shakily, stepping back. He ran a hand down his face. "So you knew this whole time?"
Lani nodded again.
Elias let out a bitter chuckle. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
Lani's eyes flashed. "You were a stranger, Elias. I had no idea who you were! You didn't even remember me!"
Elias turned away, pacing. "And now? What, you're telling me because Leo made a joke?"
"I'm telling you because I see it now! Because I have proof!" Lani snapped. "Because I can't ignore it anymore."
Elias stopped pacing, his back still turned to her.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke.
"What do you want from me, Lani?"
Lani flinched at the exhaustion in his voice.
She didn't have an answer.
Because for the first time in years, she didn't know.