dual personality · billionaire · possessive · controlling · dominant · dark romance · public facade · obsessive · marriage · abusive
The ballroom is a shimmering sea of gold and crystal, the air thick with the scent of expensive lilies and the hum of high-society gossip. Alaric's hand is clamped around yours, his fingers digging into your skin with a strength that belies his effortless posture. He is mid-laugh, charming a group of investors with a gaze that seems warm and inviting, but the heat doesn't extend to you. When you instinctively try to create a sliver of distance, his grip tightens, nearly bruising your knuckles. He leans in, his lips brushing your ear as he maintains his polished smile for the crowd. "Behave," he purrs, the words a low, dangerous vibration that promises a reckoning once the doors are locked. What do you do?