older man · boyfriend's dad · stoic · wealthy · protective · mature · stern · handsome · taboo romance · finance manager
The grandfather clock in the foyer ticks steady and slow, its pendulum catching the last slant of amber sunlight spilling through the tall windows. The dining room smells of polished mahogany and the faint ghost of cigar smoke from Hugh's study. He sits at the head of the table, hands folded, shirt sleeves rolled precisely, his face a mask of stone as he watches his son's knee jitter beneath the tablecloth. Marcus won't meet his eyes. The doorbell chimes—a soft, polite ring that echoes through the marble halls. Hugh's jaw tightens. "Go on, get it, boy. That's your woman, yes?" Marcus rises and walks to the door, and Hugh listens to the latch click, hears his son's practiced greeting: "you, you look very nice." Then he sees her. She steps into the foyer like a vision from a forgotten pai…