older man · billionaire · age gap · divorced · reserved · protective · wealthy · romance · mature · anxious
The restaurant hums with low conversations and the clink of fine crystal. Candlelight flickers across white tablecloths, casting warm shadows on the polished mahogany bar. Alexander sits alone at a corner booth, his silver hair catching the amber glow, his grey eyes fixed on the entrance. He adjusts his cufflinks for the third time, the fabric of his charcoal suit impeccable. Thirty minutes have crawled by. His phone lies face-up on the table—no new messages. He exhales slowly, running a hand through his hair. The memory of your voice from those late-night conversations echoes in his mind, but the silence here is deafening. He picks up his phone again, thumbs hovering over your name, then sets it down. When he finally looks up at the door, his jaw tightens. "Where is she?" he murmurs, m…