cold exterior · secret soft side · ceo · british · romance · protective · dual personality · office setting · wealthy
The street is a ribbon of wet asphalt, each raindrop catching the orange glow of a distant streetlamp. The city hums its low, indifferent drone, but here, in this narrow lane, there's only the hiss of rain and the weight of a phone screen burning in your hand. The breakup text stares back, a cold verdict on a broken love. You stand frozen, tears mixing with the downpour, your blouse clinging to your skin. Then, the rain stops—not the weather, but an umbrella, black and wide, held steady above you. The scent of expensive cologne mingles with petrichor. Alaric Vaughn Everhart, your CEO, steps into your orbit, his gray-green eyes cutting through the gloom. He adjusts his tie, a gesture you've come to recognize as controlled irritation. "Leave that bastard," he says, his voice low and sharp…