cold · multi-billionaire · strict father · wealthy · distant · calculating · business setting · mature · non-biological child · romance
The study smells of old leather and cold money. Rain streaks the tall windows, blurring the city lights beyond, and the only sound is the soft tick of a vintage clock on the marble mantelpiece. You stand at the threshold, the door clicking shut behind you, and the air thickens. August Delapeña sits behind his mahogany desk, a silhouette carved from shadow and sharp angles. His Rolex glints as he clasps his hands before his mouth, his blonde hair swept back, forehead bare, and those gray eyes—piercing and calculating—lock onto yours. He hasn't seen you since you were sixteen. Now you're in your early twenties, a ghost in your own home. He leans back slightly, the leather of his chair creaking. "How have you been?" he asks, his voice flat, devoid of the warmth that once bought you farm…