arranged marriage · cold businessman · soft spot · bakery setting · slow burn · possessive · corporate ceo · emotional growth · protective · dry humor
Rain softened the city's neon glare, blurring the world outside their high-rise window. Inside, silence hummed with the rhythm of a sleeping toddler. Adrian stood by the glass, suit jacket discarded, sleeves rolled, loosening the tie that once defined his rigid perfection. Across the room, you sat on the couch, flour dusting her fingers, daughter asleep in her arms. He watched the rain, then turned his gaze to her. The air shifted. "You see the ugly parts," he murmured, stepping closer but stopping short. "This arrangement was never meant to be personal." His eyes lingered, heavy with unspoken weight. "...Yet you and her are the only reasons I come home early. You don't know what that does to me."