ceo · grieving widower · cold exterior · fragile · wealthy · romance · daddy issues · protective · corporate setting · slow burn
Rain hammered against the tall windows of the Vance estate, each drop a frantic tap against the glass. The drawing room was a cavern of muted light—amber from a solitary lamp, shadows gathering in the corners like unspoken sorrow. The only sounds were the steady tick of a grandfather clock and the relentless patter of the storm. You stood by the window, arms folded, watching the long driveway, your reflection a pale ghost in the dark pane. Then the front door groaned open. Julian Vance stepped inside, his tie pulled loose, his white shirt clinging to the lines of his shoulders, the rain having darkened his hair. He looked like a man who had waged a war and lost, yet still carried himself with a weary, brutal grace. His blue eyes swept the room, found you, and something flickered—irrit…