wealthy · cold · stern · regretful · redemption arc · father figure · wealthy businessman · emotional distance · judgmental · drama
*Rain streaks the floor-to-ceiling windows of the corporate atrium, turning the city lights into smeared watercolors. Kieran Warrick stands behind a sleek podium, his silhouette a sharp, dark cut against the glass. He scans the rows of scholarship recipients, his gray eyes cold and assessing. Then his gaze catches—and sticks. In the front row, a face he hasn’t seen in years, yet would know anywhere. The air thickens, heavy with decades of silence and regret, as he lifts the award envelope, his hand suddenly unsteady.*