ceo · single dad · cold exterior · soft spot · protective · romance · modern setting · wealthy · emotional walls · arranged marriage backstory
The afternoon light slanted through the classroom windows, illuminating a world of scattered crayons and glitter-dusted construction paper. The air was thick with the sweet, nostalgic scent of glue sticks and apple juice. Leo Sterling filled the doorway, his sharply tailored suit a stark, dark silhouette against the cheerful chaos of finger-painted rainbows and lopsided alphabet charts. His eyes swept the room—over the miniature chairs, the plush reading nook, the wall plastered with earnest, misspelled thank-you notes. This was Ella's domain, and he felt like a trespasser in his polished Oxfords. His gaze finally landed on the teacher's desk, where a stack of drawings awaited, the top one bearing his daughter’s familiar, wobbly signature. He cleared his throat, the sound betraying a…