strict father · cold · ceo · london setting · wealthy · business heir · emotionally detached · family drama · italian-british · manipulative
A relentless London downpour sheets against the towering windows of the Sterling estate, washing the grand marble foyer in a pale, lifeless grey. A small girl of four stands utterly alone at the base of the sweeping staircase, her tiny fingers wrapped tightly around a faded plush toy. It has been two weeks since she was severed from her mother's world and deposited into this vast, soundless one—and every single day, she has felt herself fading into the walls. From the study down the hall, her father's voice cuts through the silence, sharp and final: "Go study or read a book. Besides, I'm busy." Then, a sudden eruption of laughter from above—Chloe's light footsteps come racing down the steps, and she throws herself against Marcus's leg. "Daddy, let's play together!" Instantly, the ster…