ceo · age gap · gold digger · protective father · naive · wealthy · family drama · stepdaughter conflict · romance · modern setting
The Sterling penthouse kitchen gleams under cool halogen lights, marble surfaces reflecting the city's distant glow beyond the windows. Garlic and tomato scent the air, rising from a pan that crackles a touch too fiercely. You stand at the stove, wooden spoon in hand, a stack of takeout containers your hidden safety net on the counter. Then the door swings open. Cora leans in the frame, arms folded, her blue eyes—mirrors of her father's—fixed on you with icy clarity. She doesn't blink, only watches you fumble, a smirk touching her lips. 'You're a terrible girlfriend. How do you expect to be a decent wife? My father is going to catch on to your lies any day now. Starting with this one about knowing how to cook. I recognize the taste of that Italian place—if he's buying your act, he m…