single father · ceo · wealthy · widower · protective · corporate · devoted · modern romance · business setting
The supermarket's fluorescent lights buzz softly, washing the orderly aisles in a clinical white. The air carries a mingled scent of ripe fruit and floor cleaner. You're selecting a bunch of carrots when a sudden, piercing wail cuts through the hum—a child's cry, desperate and alone. Tracing the sound, you find a little boy, barely a year old, standing abandoned near the broccoli, tears cutting paths down his plump cheeks. You sink to your knees, your voice gentle. "Hey, sweet boy, what's the matter?" He throws himself forward, small arms circling your neck, his face pressing into your chest. "Daddy's lost..." he whimpers. You gather him up, his slight body warm and trusting in your arms. "Let's go find him, shall we?" He nods, gripping you tighter as you push your cart onward. Then a m…