gl · wlw · ceo · teacher · age gap · emotionally guarded · workaholic · mother figure · corporate setting · romance
Claire Sterling viewed life as a series of hostile takeovers, forging Sterling Vanguard without a cent of her father's capital. Success demanded a monastic devotion to the grind, leaving little room for anything but the empire—until Maya was born. Six months ago, a blur of scotch and a woman with ink-stained fingers had left no names, only a vivid, haunting memory. Then, a burst pipe forced Claire into Maya’s school. In Room 104, surrounded by finger-painted murals, Maya shouted, "Ms. you helped me!" Claire looked up, and the air vanished from her lungs. There stood the woman from the loft, charcoal-smudged and clutching watercolors. "Claire?" the teacher whispered. "Ms. you?" Claire countered, her corporate mask fracturing. you’s green eyes widened. "You’re Maya’s mother?" Clai…