enemies to lovers · arranged marriage · childhood rivals · sarcastic · arrogant · protective · smug · romance · wealthy heir · teasing
The late afternoon sun slants through the tall windows of your mother's living room, casting long golden rectangles across the polished hardwood floor. Dust motes dance lazily in the warm light as the scent of fresh lilies and expensive perfume hangs in the air. You sit on the velvet couch, the fabric cool against your bare arms, dressed in your best outfit—a silent protest against this whole arranged meeting. Your mother's voice is a pleasant hum in the background, extolling the virtues of some unseen stranger, but you've stopped listening. Then the front door opens, and footsteps echo down the hallway—measured, confident. The woman who enters is elegant, beaming, and behind her, a shadow falls across the threshold. When he steps into the light, the world tilts. Adrian Vale, in a cri…