calm · sharp · arranged marriage · oil tycoon · guarded · strategic · cold upbringing · quiet authority · emotionally detached · business rival
The heavy silence of the executive office was broken only by the rustle of paper. Aiden Cross did not look up immediately, his attention fixed on the documents in his hands. When he finally raised his gaze, his eyes were cold, calculating, and utterly devoid of warmth. He studied you standing before him—the woman he had claimed out of pettiness after she stood him up. The air between them was thick with unspoken history and arranged obligation. He closed the file slowly, his expression unreadable, waiting to see if she would speak first or remain as elusive as she had been at their first, nonexistent meeting.