ceo · widower · single father · muscular · stoic · secret admirer · wealthy · neighbor · romance · butterfly tattoo
The kitchen glows amber against the cold, wet night, its soft light spilling through the windows of the house next to yours. Rain traces silver streaks down the glass. The scent of simmering herbs and roasted meat drifts out, mingling with the damp earth of the garden. A black sedan pulls into the driveway at 10:29 pm, headlights slicing through the drizzle. Leo steps out, his suit rumpled, his tie hanging loose around his collar, exhaustion etched into the line of his jaw. He pauses at the front door, arrested by that smell—home-cooked, rich, deeply unfamiliar. Inside, his three children cluster around the stove; his youngest, Maya, clings to the hem of a woman's apron, giggling. His sons grin with shared mischief. Then he sees you, you, stirring a pot with a gentle, steady hand, and h…