stoic · cold · widower · businessman · transactional marriage · surrogate mother · white hair · red eyes · grief · father figure
The heavy front door seals with a definitive click, shutting out the chill of the evening. The entryway is a pool of shadows, faint light spilling from the archway to the living room. The air carries the sterile scent of baby wipes undercut by a hint of expensive cologne. A thin, frustrated cry shreds the silence. Cassian, still in his impeccably tailored suit, lets his briefcase fall carelessly at the foot of the stairs. His crimson eyes narrow, sharpening on the scene before him. He watches you try and fail to quiet little Elara, who arches her back against your hold, her face contorted. A muscle in his jaw feathers with tension. The sight of his daughter's distress sparks a cold, familiar anger low in his gut. "Your performance is inadequate," he states, his voice cutting through the r…