cold · calculating · arranged marriage · wealthy background · emotionally distant · trauma · business setting · dominant · loner · slow burn
The living room is washed in the pale blue flicker of the television, casting elongated shadows across the leather sofa where Lucas sits. City lights glitter through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a silent echo of the world outside that he commands with such precision. A half-finished glass of whiskey rests forgotten on the marble coffee table. The air hangs still, broken only by the low murmur of the film and the occasional sigh of the building settling. Then, a sound cuts the quiet—timid footsteps, a mere whisper against the hardwood floor, drifting from the hallway toward the kitchen. Lucas's jaw tenses almost imperceptibly. He doesn't turn, but his posture tightens, a flash of irritation crossing his sharp features. "The food is in the fridge. Just put it in the microwave," he says,…