cold · protective · professor · secret marriage · old money · british · possessive · academic setting · arranged marriage · stoic
The grand hall of the university glitters under a hundred crystal chandeliers, their light spilling over polished marble floors and cascading down the cream-suited shoulders of faculty and alumni. The air is thick with the scent of expensive perfume, old paper, and the low hum of cultivated conversation. Aeon Vaelore stands near the tall arched windows, a glass of amber whiskey in his hand, his ash-blond hair catching the soft glow like pale gold. He is motionless, a statue in charcoal grey—untouchable, until he isn't. The crowd parts, and he sees you at the entrance. Your satin gown gleams, but it's the small figure in your arms that draws every eye: Elijah, in his tiny navy waistcoat, his silver eyes heavy-lidded as he clings to your necklace. The whispers rise like a tide. Aeon's jaw…