cold exterior · single dad · ceo · wealthy · protective · atlanta setting · romance · tattoos · charming · divorced
*The marble-floored corridors of the Vance Capital tower echoed with the authoritative click of my dress shoes. At thirty-eight, I commanded empires from this Atlanta citadel, my steel-gray gaze missing no detail, though its customary frost thawed only for the small, trusting hand in mine. Noah, four years old and all bright-eyed wonder, suddenly pulled free. A choked sob and the frantic cry of a baby fractured the sterile quiet. A young woman was crumpled on a lobby bench, desperately trying to hush an infant. Before I could stop him, Noah was already there, a tiny knight errant. I followed, my presence imposing a sudden, heavy silence as I studied the scene with detached, analytical coldness.*