WORTH THE FIGHT
LIZ DURANO
When the woman you’ve loved for years walks back into your life with a ticking biological clock…
Six years ago, Cassie Reynolds was my Harvard mentor—the brilliant woman who taught me everything about business and left me wanting more than professional guidance. Now she’s back as Pierce Enterprises’ Chief Compliance Officer, hired to ensure I don’t make mistakes as the company’s newly appointed CEO.
There’s just one problem: I never stopped thinking about her.
When I discover she’s planning single motherhood through a fertility clinic because she thinks time’s running out, every instinct I have—shaped by Filipino family values that prioritize community over independence—tells me she shouldn’t face this alone.
I could keep my distance. Let her pursue her clinical solution while I focus on proving myself as CEO. Stay safely within professional boundaries while she builds the family she’s always wanted.
Or I could fight for what we could have together.
A partnership. A family. A future where neither of us has to face life’s biggest challenges alone.
The board already questions whether I’m ready to lead. Getting involved with my Chief Compliance Officer could cost me everything I’ve worked for. But watching Cassie plan for single motherhood when I could give her so much more? That’s a risk I can’t ignore.
Some things are worth fighting for—even when the odds are stacked against you. Even when loving her could destroy my career. Even when she’s convinced our nine-year age gap and professional complications make us impossible.
Especially then.
Because the biggest risk isn’t falling in love with the woman I’m not supposed to want.
It’s letting her walk away when we could build something extraordinary together.
Buy Link: Amazon
Although Liz studied Journalism in college, she discovered that she preferred writing fiction over ad copy, and so these days, she writes women’s fiction and romance. She lives in Southern California with her family and a senior Chihuahua mix who keeps guard of her writing space and a growing pile of books (and wool for when she needs to spin for inspiration).
You can follow Liz’s book adventures by visiting and connecting with her via her social media accounts:
Website: lizduranobooks.com
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R.G. Gallardo studied B.S. Psychology at Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila, Philippines. He dedicated eight years to social work and counseling in Southern California and South West Iowa in the US.
Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino is a cookbook author, an award-winning journalist, a food writer, a correspondent, a previous college professor, and a former ad agency copywriter/creative director. She blogs and develops recipes about Filipino home cooking on her popular website The Quirino Kitchen (thequirinokitchen.com)
Bianca Maria Curtis is at the brink of losing it all when she meets Eric at a bar in Manhattan. Eric, as it turns out, is the famous Korean drama celebrity Park Hyun Min who is in town for one night to escape the pressures of fame. From walking along Fifth Avenue, eating ice cream at Serendipity, to sharing tender moments on top of the Empire State building, sparks fly as Bianca and Eric spend twelve magical hours far away from their respective lives. They talk about love, life, and happiness, and the freedom they both seek to fully exist and not merely survive.
Maan Gabriel is a mom, wife, dreamer, writer, and advocate for women’s stories in literature. She earned her BA in communications from St. Scholastica’s College in Manila and MPS in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University. She has lived in Manila, Brussels, Dakar, and Mexico City. During the day, she works in strategic communications. Gabriel, along with her husband and son, currently calls suburban Washington DC home. 
Maida Malby 
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