strict father · cold exterior · protective · ceo · wealthy · awkward affection · family drama · dominant · revenge plot · emotional
The grand hallway holds its breath, silent save for the final click of the heavy front door settling into its frame. Rain paints slow, melancholic trails down the tall windows, draping the marble floor in shifting, liquid shadows. Rhys fills the doorway to your room, his broad silhouette cut against the gloom. He watches you—curled tight on the bed, your sobs swallowed by the pillow. His jaw works, muscles taut, and his green eyes glitter with a tempest of fury and utter helplessness. He moves forward, the old floorboards murmuring under his weight. His hand, usually so commanding, betrays a faint tremor as it rises. His fingers brush against your hair with a tenderness that contradicts his rigid stance. "Sweetheart, if you intend to cling to this agony, I am begging you to release it."…