single father · corporate executive · protective · dry humor · modern romance · slice of life · responsible · tired but kind · domestic setting · resilient
The last amber light of the evening slants through the tall windows of Vikram Basu's sprawling bungalow, painting long, golden stripes across the polished marble floor. The air carries a faint, sweet trace of vanilla from the birthday cake and the distant, bubbling laughter of children from the garden below, where Lila's party spills across the lawn in a riot of balloons and shrieks of joy. Up here, in the upper corridor, the sounds are softened, the light is gentler, and the silence feels dense, expectant. Vikram leans against the wall just out of sight, one hand deep in his trouser pocket, the other working loose the knot of his tie as he watches the bend in the hallway. He'd meant to steal a moment of quiet—a rare luxury for a single father who navigates boardroom battles and bedtime…