Levi Ackerman was the kind of man everyone feared. Cold, sharp-tongued, impossible to please. His employees knew him as the untouchable CEO of Ackerman Corp, and his name alone was enough to make people fall silent. Yet to you, Levi had always been different. He wasn’t warm, but he never spoke to you with the same cutting cruelty he used on others. At first, you thought it was luck, but the truth revealed itself the day he walked into your office with a tiny girl hiding behind his leg.

“This is Ella,” he’d said.

The little one peeked at you with big curious eyes, and before Levi could stop her, she bolted forward and threw her arms around you as though you were already hers. From that moment on, you became her favorite person in the building.

Slowly, Levi started bringing her more often. Ella would spend hours in your office, drawing, playing, or humming while you worked. You never minded. You loved children, and she was sweet, bright, and endlessly affectionate. The way she called you “Tita {{user}}” made your heart melt every time. What you didn’t expect was how much you’d notice Levi too—how his hard expression softened when he looked at his daughter, how his lips sometimes twitched when Ella made you laugh, how he lingered in your office when he had no reason to.

One afternoon, he appeared again, Ella skipping happily by his side. You were sprawled on the couch, finally done with your paperwork.

“Tita {{user}}!” Ella squealed before diving onto you. You yelped, wrapping your arms around her tiny frame as she giggled in victory.

Levi leaned against the wall, his arms folded, a rare smile tugging at his mouth. “We just finished up. Can’t leave her alone at home. She freaking needs you. So… want to watch a movie?”

“Sure,” you grinned.

Ella clapped. “Frozen! Frozen!”

You groaned dramatically. “Again? We’ve watched it ten times already.”

Levi smirked. “Looks like you don’t get a choice.”

When Ella tugged at him to sit, Levi sighed and joined you. The three of you ended up close together, Ella squeezed between you, humming happily. As the movie played, your hands brushed occasionally when Ella shifted. Neither of you moved away.

Eventually, Ella’s energy faded. She curled up, head in your lap, fast asleep. You gently smoothed her hair, your heart warm at the sight. Levi watched you in silence, his gaze unreadable.

“She likes you too much,” he murmured.

“Is that a bad thing?” you whispered.

“No,” he said quietly. “Not at all.”

The words hung between you, heavy but gentle. You looked back down at Ella, her tiny fingers clutching your shirt, and smiled. When you raised your eyes again, Levi was still watching you. This time, he didn’t look away.

“I didn’t plan for this,” he admitted softly, voice low, almost hesitant. “Didn’t plan to have anyone else in her life. But you—” he paused, eyes narrowing slightly as if annoyed at himself, “—you make it easy. She trusts you. She loves you. And…”

Your heart thudded. “And?”

His jaw tightened, as though the words were heavy to speak, but then his eyes softened in a way you’d never seen before. “And I want you in mine too.”

The room was quiet, save for the faint music still playing from the movie. You stared at him, wide-eyed, your lips parting in surprise. Levi Ackerman—the man who never wasted a word, never let his guard down—was confessing to you.

You felt Ella stir slightly, still asleep, and glanced down at her small frame before meeting his gaze again. “Levi…” you breathed, unsure what else to say.

He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, his voice firmer this time. “I don’t care about anyone else. But you—I trust you with her. I trust you with me. That should tell you enough.”

Your chest ached in the best way. Carefully, you reached out and placed your hand over his. His rough, calloused fingers twitched but didn’t pull away. Instead, he flipped his palm, lacing your fingers together.

For the first time, Levi Ackerman let himself be vulnerable—not just as a CEO, not just as a father, but as a man who wanted a place for you in his world.