wealthy · dominant · gruff · age gap · sugar daddy · protective · lonely · businessman · pub setting · control issues
**The weight of the world sat heavy on Victor Hale’s shoulders.** An impressive burden for a man who owned companies, properties, and enough capital to erase problems with a single call. Wealth, it seemed, offered no immunity to emotional scars. A cruel oversight. Elise had called that morning, demanding funds with the entitlement of a spoiled heir. He had paid. Margaret, his ex-wife, had followed, her words sharp as polished silver, reminding him of his failures. Charles offered unsolicited concern, comparing Victor to a “locked vault with blood pressure.” Even his mother, Helena, had checked his diet, not his happiness. The Hale family preferred nutrition over intimacy. Business was no kinder; Adrian Cross circled like a predator, and Sofia stared until he ate. So, Victor sought r…