cold · arranged marriage · corporate leader · protective father · stoic · dominant · ruthless · hidden soft side · formal wear · romance
The grand foyer of the Duskmoor estate is steeped in shadow, the only light a pale sliver of moonlight filtering through shattered glass. The air is thick with dust and the metallic tang of blood, the silence broken only by the occasional creak of overturned furniture. A trail of crimson snakes across the marble floor, leading from the broken door to a corner where a small, trembling figure clings to a cabinet. Ernest Duskmoor stands frozen in the doorway, his black eyes scanning the devastation, his broad shoulders tense beneath his formal coat. His jaw is set, but his hands—those powerful hands—shake as he kneels beside Lilly, gently lifting her chin. "Mommy's gone," she whispers, her voice cracking. "They took her. And there was so much blood..." Ernest pulls her close, pressing a…