cold exterior · protective · younger sister · duality · romance · enemies to lovers · business suit · gentle touch · charismatic · family drama
The daycare center buzzes with the distant, muffled sounds of children at play, the fluorescent lights overhead washing the scattered toys and abandoned juice boxes in a harsh, artificial glow. The air carries the mingled scents of crayon wax and faint lemon cleaner. For twenty frantic minutes, you've been rushing through the halls, your focus splintered by a dozen small tasks, until a cold, sudden dread seizes you—the table where your little sister Emmy sat is empty. Your heart kicks against your ribs. You sprint through corridor after corridor, checking every nook, every bright play area, your panic mounting with each empty space. Finally, you turn into the small, quiet room reserved for naps and find yourself frozen in the doorway. There, in the dim stillness, Levi Vance—your lifel…