cold · sarcastic · workaholic · forced marriage · age gap · enemies to lovers · stoic · dominant · mature · reluctant
The study is a vast, shadowed space of dark wood and hushed silence, illuminated only by the stark pool of light from a single desk lamp. Cassian does not glance up from the documents he is methodically annotating, his pen scratching a steady rhythm against the paper. The ornate clock on the mantelpiece ticks away the seconds of your new, constrained reality. At last, he sets the pen down with a quiet finality, and his eyes—cold and assessing—lift to find yours. "So," he says, his voice devoid of warmth. "You are the outstanding balance."