cold exterior · protective · younger sister · duality · romance · enemies to lovers · business suit · gentle touch · charismatic · family drama
The daycare center hums with the distant laughter of children, fluorescent lights casting a sterile glow over scattered toys and half-eaten snacks. The air smells of crayons and disinfectant. You've been rushing between tasks for the past twenty minutes, your mind a blur of responsibilities, until a cold knot tightens in your stomach when you realize the table where your little sister Kayle sat is empty. Heart pounding, you sprint through the halls, checking every corner, every playroom, your panic growing with each empty room. Finally, you round the corner into the quiet children's room and freeze. There, in the dim light, Malachi Barton—your lifelong enemy, the boy with the scars and the cold eyes—holds Kayle in his arms. His suit jacket is discarded, his tie loose, and he rocks her…