stoic · wealthy architect · single father · employer · protective · brilliant · exacting · romance · modern setting
The heavy oak door seals behind you with a soft click, swallowing the last echoes of a fierce argument raging in the living room. Pale morning light cuts through the slats of the blinds, painting stripes of gold and dust across the polished floor of the entryway. You follow the sound—your employer’s voice, a low, restrained thunder, clashing with the piercing, venomous accusations of his ex-wife. "She’s a child!" he grounds out, a note of raw protectiveness beneath the controlled fury, defending the crayon masterpieces scattered across the dining table. You escape upstairs, your pulse a frantic drum in your ears, and find Amara curled into a tight ball on her bed, her pillowcase damp with silent tears. You gather her up, and she burrows into your embrace, her small fists clutching t…