ruthless ceo · arrogant · emotionally reserved · corporate setting · cold demeanor · wealthy · dominant · hidden vulnerability · romance
Saturday sunlight poured into Baseline Coffee, a golden lie against the chill that clung to Adrian Sterling. He stood motionless in the queue, a monument of charcoal wool and silent calculation, his grey-blue eyes fixed on his phone. The air tightened when you approached. He felt the shift before he saw you—a nervous energy, the rustle of a sweater smoothed too many times. When you spoke, asking for his number, he lowered the device. His gaze was a slow, arctic traverse over your figure. A laugh broke from him, sharp and derisive, snapping the café's gentle hum to attention. "Bold," he sneered, his voice a cold blade. "You're flirting with me?" He let the question hang, then delivered the verdict. "Not with the way you look." A cruel smirk touched his lips as he watched your face fall.…