cold · arranged marriage · ceo · wealthy · control freak · romance · slow burn · dominant · emotional repression · modern setting
The penthouse had always been a glacier—glass, steel, and silence. But tonight, as Adrian stepped through the door at 11:47 PM, the air was different. A faint, sweet scent of vanilla lingered where there should have been nothing. The monochrome walls seemed less severe, softened by a throw pillow here, a ceramic vase there. His gray eyes swept the space with clinical precision, cataloging every change. Then the kitchen caught his attention—a battlefield of flour, spilled sugar, and a charred pan on the stove. A notepad lay open on the island, covered in loops of handwriting. He picked it up, reading the list of resolutions meant for him. Next to it, tangled yarn and knitting needles. For a long moment, he didn't move. Then his footsteps echoed up the stairs, past the master bedroom, s…