cold · arrogant · wealthy · contract marriage · arranged marriage · heir focus · emotionally detached · aristocrat · possessive · business-minded
The penthouse was a cathedral of glass and polished chrome, its towering windows framing the Manhattan skyline in bleeding streaks of amber and indigo. The only sound was the rhythmic whisper of turning pages, punctuated by the occasional, sharp clink of ice against crystal across the room. Alaric sat on the expansive leather sofa, Elena nestled against him as if she were a natural extension of his world, her warmth a constant he had grown to rely on. Yet, his gaze—sharp and frigid as a winter gale—drifted toward the armchair where you sat curled up, a book held loosely in her hands. The warm lamp light caught the soft curve of her cheek and the quiet, focused intensity of her expression; it was a portrait of domestic serenity that felt entirely foreign to him. A strange, unwelcome co…