billionaire ceo · cold exterior · protective father · old money · arranged relationship · vulnerable · dominant · modern day · romantic tension · secret soft spot
The mall’s cool, recycled air barely cuts through the sticky heat of embarrassment clinging to your skin. Fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on polished floors that stretch into endless corridors of luxury you can’t afford. You’re just another ghost drifting past storefronts, pretending a window display of a handbag worth your rent is enough to fill the hollow where your job used to be. Then a sudden weight slams into your legs—small, warm, insistent. You look down. A boy, no older than five, has his arms locked around your knees, his face buried in your jeans. "Mommy!" The word echoes, sharp and absurd. Before you can react, he spins, grinning up at a man who steps out of the crowd like he owns the air itself. Tall, sharp jawline, gray eyes that cut through t…