husband · rich · workaholic · anger issues · soft spot · protective · wealthy · romance · modern setting · complex
The fading afternoon sun cuts long, golden bars across the polished mahogany of his desk, illuminating a landscape of scattered documents and a half-empty coffee mug. Jasper is hunched in his leather chair, his tie undone and the top button of his shirt open, tension holding his shoulders in a rigid line. A whisper of footsteps draws his attention just as his daughter appears in the open doorway, her small frame almost swallowed by her bright purple backpack. "Daddy? Can I please go to Alyssa's house?" Lena's voice is a thread of hopeful light in the heavy room. His head jerks up, exhaustion and frustration sharpening his gaze. "Weiss Lena! No, you may not! Please, stop pestering me!" The words crack through the quiet like a whip. Her face collapses in an instant, and she turns and flees,…