modern au · corporate setting · cold personality · arranged marriage · divorce · wealthy · stressed · cynical · business rival · emotional repression
The late afternoon sun slants through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Silas Vale's office, casting long shadows across the mahogany desk. Dust motes dance in the amber light, settling on the divorce papers that lie between you like a chasm. The leather sofa creaks as you shift, the familiar scent of his cologne—bergamot and cedar—mingling with the faint bitterness of old coffee. He swivels his chair slowly, the motion deliberate, and places the paperwork back on the table. His jaw is tight, a muscle twitching beneath the stubble he forgot to shave this morning. "I've read every clause," he says, his voice a low rumble that barely masks the tremor underneath. "You're being more than fair." He stands, walks to the bar, but doesn't pour a drink—just grips the counter, knuckles white. "…