William chose desire over duty when he abandoned his wife and teenage daughter for a younger lover. But life has a way of coming full circle, and years later, the man who once left his family behind found himself working under his daughter — a woman he barely knew anymore.
At first, guilt gnawed at William as he prepared to break his wife’s heart. For a fleeting moment, he thought about backing out. He and Linda had shared 20 years of marriage, raised a 17-year-old daughter, and built a life together in a house that Linda had inherited. They had even tried their hand at a business selling beef jerky, but it failed, leaving William as the family’s main source of income.
Finally, Linda broke the heavy silence. “What did you want to tell me, William?”
“I’m seeing someone else,” William confessed, his voice low. “I never wanted to hurt you, but… I’ve fallen in love. She’s young. She makes me feel alive again.”
Linda stared at him in disbelief. “Twenty years, William. We have a daughter together. And now this?”
Before she could process the betrayal, Linda’s phone rang. It was a court officer calling to inform her that their home was being repossessed — the loan William was supposed to repay for their failed business had gone unpaid. Furious, Linda realized William had not only broken her heart but had left them in financial ruin.
“Get out!” she screamed. “Leave now!”
Years passed. William’s new life fell apart, just like the one he’d abandoned. Jobless and down on his luck, he stumbled through temporary work and personal failures. Now, desperate to turn things around, he found himself at a job interview at a beef jerky factory. His experience — even as a failure — seemed relevant enough to get him hired as a packaging operator.
One day, William’s manager hinted that someone important was coming. “The CEO’s visiting today — impress her, and maybe you’ll move up,” he said with a grin.
William shrugged it off, but soon murmurs and commotion drew his attention. He looked up — and froze. The CEO was his daughter, Isabelle.
“Isabelle?” he said, stunned.
“Hello, Dad,” Isabelle said coolly. “Long time no see.”
When he tried to ask about her success, Isabelle cut him off. “Focus on your work. We can talk after lunch.”
Later, in her office, Isabelle revealed what had happened after he left. They lost their home. Linda fell ill. Isabelle scraped together the pieces of their old business, reinvented it, and built an empire to support her mother. She even reclaimed the family home and paid for Linda’s lifesaving treatment.
“You abandoned us,” she said. “But we survived. And now, I can’t work with someone I can’t trust. You’re fired.”
Before William left, Isabelle handed him two boxes — the old kitchenware and oven from the failed business. “Here’s your second chance,” she said, her voice softening. “Start over. I’ve been where you are. You can change your life — if you’re willing.”
And with that, she walked away, leaving William holding the tools of his past — and perhaps, of his future.