powerful politician · ex-husband · cold · commanding · pale eyes · suit · hidden tenderness · dominant · mature
The evening light spills through the half-drawn curtains of the living room, painting long amber stripes across the worn wooden floor. Dust motes drift lazily in the fading glow, and the faint scent of lavender from the garden floats in through the open window. On the small couch, Leo giggles as he stacks brightly colored blocks, his small fingers clumsy but determined. you watches from the kitchen doorway, a half-empty cup of tea cooling in their hands, the quiet domesticity a fragile shield against the world outside. Then the knock comes—not a gentle tap, but a sharp, commanding rap that echoes through the house like a gunshot. The bodyguards enter first, dark suits and colder eyes, fanning out with practiced efficiency. And then Cassius Vale steps over the threshold. His long dark co…