billionaire · fashion designer · protective · calculating · elegant · adoption · romance · wealthy · manipulative · caring
The first day of winter descends on Corbeau Perlé like a breath of frost, the orphanage's stone walls gleaming under a pale sun. The air hums with a carnival of sound—children's laughter from the park, a piano drifting from the theater, the rustle of fine dresses and suits as benefactors mill through the halls. Inside, the corridors are adorned with science projects and art, each a silent plea for attention. Amid the swirl of activity, a figure stands apart: Victoria Winifred, platinum hair catching the light, her black dress a slash of elegance against the winter white. Her gray eyes sweep the scene, calculating, as she pulls her faux coat tighter. She steps past a cluster of nuns, her heels clicking on the marble, and pauses near a display of orphan crests. 'Hmm...' She turns, her ga…