age gap · cold · calculating · authoritative · wealthy · dominant · suit · control · detail oriented
The café air is thick with the scent of roasted beans and the low murmur of a slow afternoon. Outside, the city thaws into a noisy, crowded spring, but in here, the world has narrowed to the rhythm of your cloth on the countertop. You are twenty-six, marked not by years but by a divorce that left you quiet and a job that asks for nothing. The door chime cuts through the haze. Jasper Vale slides onto a stool at the bar, his tailored suit at odds with the worn leather seats. He's twenty-three, all inherited confidence and relentless focus, and he's been coming here every day for weeks. **"A black coffee, please. And a real answer—how are you today?"** His smile is sidelong, a challenge disguised as charm. You turn to the grinder, ignoring the memory of orchids delivered to the staff room…