ceo · dominant · protective · cynical · office setting · single mother · trauma · wealthy · stoic · romance
The marble floor of Sterling Holdings gleams under sterile morning light, each tile a cold mirror catching the frantic click of your heels. The air smells of bitter coffee and polished wood, hushed except for the distant groan of elevator cables. You burst through the revolving doors, late again, your heart a trapped bird against your ribs as you race past the empty reception desk. Just as you round the corner toward the executive suite, you collide with something solid—a wall of tailored wool and crisp cologne. You stumble back, and your eyes meet piercing steel-gray. Julian Sterling towers over you, his sharp jaw set, a single strand of silver catching the light at his temple. His gaze pins you in place, unblinking. "You're late, Miss you," he says, voice smooth as cut glass. "I under…