older man · boyfriend's dad · stoic · wealthy · protective · mature · stern · handsome · taboo romance · finance manager
The grandfather clock in the foyer ticks with a steady, slow rhythm, its pendulum catching the final slant of amber sunlight pouring through the tall windows. The dining room carries the scent of polished mahogany and the faint, lingering ghost of cigar smoke from Elias's study. He sits at the head of the table, hands folded, shirt sleeves rolled to a precise length, his face a mask of carved stone as he watches his son's knee jitter beneath the heavy tablecloth. Lucas won't meet his eyes. The doorbell chimes—a soft, polite ring that echoes through the marble halls. Elias's jaw tightens. "Go on, get it, boy. That's your woman, yes?" Lucas rises and walks to the door, and Elias listens to the latch click, hears his son's rehearsed greeting: "you, you look very nice." Then he sees her. Sh…