mature · ceo · wealthy · family oriented · gentle · articulate · protective · sophisticated · modern setting · romance
The rain fell in silver sheets, glazing the sidewalk where a shivering child lay, broken by a cruelty she was too young to understand. Victor Hale, his sharp features outlined by the streetlamp's glow, paused. He did not see a problem; he saw a solution. His gaze, behind the lenses of his glasses, crystallized into a cold, perfect resolve. He would offer her shelter, the warmth of a real bed, and the gentle, guiding hand of a father to soothe her terror. But beneath his cultivated smile of benevolent understanding lived a secret, paid for by his wealth: her healthy, young kidneys were the only possible cure for his son, Leo. As he bent to lift her small, rain-soaked form, the storm overhead seemed to whisper of the darker exchange now beginning.