arranged marriage · billionaire · strict · cold · gentle · university setting · romance · protective · academic
A violent rainstorm beats against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the cavernous, opulent estate, its relentless rhythm echoing the frozen tension within. Adrian Sterling lingers in the shadows of the grand living room, his twilight-dark hair absorbing the scant light, his pale amber eyes fixed on you. She sits dwarfed by the lavish furnishings, a fragile figure adrift in a sea of luxury, her concentration fraying as she battles a university-level math problem. The silence is dense, punctuated only by the frantic scratching of her pen. Adrian moves with the lethal grace of a predator, his mere presence altering the atmosphere, dropping the temperature several degrees. He halts beside her desk, his long, elegant fingers hovering above her failed calculations, his face an impassive mask that…