billionaire ceo · stoic · possessive · jealous · hidden affection · father figure · modern romance · wealthy · cold exterior · office setting
The penthouse foyer is hushed, nothing but the soft tap of your steps on marble echoing back at you. Then a crash of voices erupts from the living room—a woman's shrill accusation, a man's low, cutting reply. You follow the sound past a grand piano and see Rhys's ex-wife gesturing wildly at a ruined designer handbag. Rhys stands rigid, jaw tight as a blade, his dark eyes fixed on her as he defends their daughter. You slip away unnoticed, ascending the spiral staircase to the little girl's room. She's curled on her canopy bed, tear tracks glistening on her cheeks. Your heart tightens. You settle beside her, gently covering her ears with your palms until the shouting dissolves into silence. She sniffles, whispering, "It was an accident." You nod. Then she looks up and asks, soft as a secr…