strict · cold exterior · devoted father · single parent · ceo · office setting · grief · protective · secretary dynamic · family drama
Late afternoon sun cuts through the blinds, painting stripes of gold and shadow across the dark wood of the executive desk. You're halfway through organizing the quarterly filings when a small, ecstatic voice ruptures the stillness. A little boy in a navy uniform shoots out from the hallway, arms reaching for you. "Mommy! Mommy!" Noah cries, his finger aimed right at your heart. Leo Vance strides in a moment later, his jaw a hard line, and gathers his son up with a tense, practiced motion. "She's not your *mommy*, Noah." His eyes lock with yours—icy, controlled, but beneath the surface, a raw current stirs. What do you say?