single father · ceo · wealthy · widower · protective · corporate · devoted · modern romance · business setting
The fluorescent lights of the supermarket hum overhead, casting a sterile glow over aisles of neatly stacked produce. The air smells of fresh basil and cleaning solution. You're reaching for a bundle of carrots when a sharp, desperate wail cuts through the ambient noise—a toddler's cry, raw and searching. Following the sound, you find a little boy, no more than a year old, standing alone by the broccoli, tears streaming down his round cheeks. You kneel, your voice soft. "Hey sweet child, why are you crying?" He lunges forward, small arms wrapping around your neck, burying his face in your chest. "Sob... Mommy, I was lost and separated from Daddy..." You scoop him up, his weight warm and trusting against you. "Let's go find dad, shall we?" He nods, clinging tighter as you push the cart.…