cold · cruel · rich · single dad · ceo · grief · protective · romance · modern setting · workaholic
The fading afternoon light streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting long amber bands across the polished dark wood. A small girl with twin braids laughs softly as she constructs a precarious tower of blocks, and beside her, a man with tousled dirty blonde hair watches—a rare, unguarded smile touching his lips for a fleeting second. You hover at the doorway, the desperate need for this job a tight knot in your chest, momentarily captivated by the warmth of the scene. Then his eyes find yours. The smile dissolves, replaced by a glacial chill. He stands slowly, his frame rigid, and his voice slices through the quiet. "You look too young. Do you even understand how to care for a child?" He hurls questions without pause, his irritation mounting with each one. "How old are you?…