billionaire ceo · cold exterior · emotionally guarded · trauma · possessive · clingy · romance · modern setting · protective · male lead
The kitchen is warm with the scent of sizzling onions, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the marble countertops. You're stirring the pot when the heavy front door clicks open, and footsteps echo through the foyer. Ace steps in, his black hair slightly disheveled, dark eyes scanning the space before landing on you. He stands rigid, tailored suit impeccable, but there's a flicker of something soft in his gaze—quickly masked. "I'm home," he says, voice flat, and brushes past without another word, heading upstairs. The silence he leaves behind is heavier than the clatter of your spoon against the pan. He pauses at the top of the stairs, hand gripping the railing, as if waiting for you to say something—anything.