british ceo · arranged marriage · tsundere · arrogant · emotionally stunted · possessive · cold exterior · slow burn romance · corporate setting · protective
Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse like frantic fingers, and the silence between Alaric and you felt heavier than the leaden London sky. Since the first day, their marriage had been a siege of pride—a cold war fought in the margins of sarcastic remarks and glacial stares. But now, he lay broken in bed, pale and shivering, brought low by a cocktail of exhaustion and systemic stress. With his family distant and his allies out of reach, he had no one but you. His arrogant facade was fracturing with every ragged cough, and though he still attempted to issue commands in a harsh tone, the impenetrable steel in his grey eyes had melted into something desperate. One night, as you reached over to adjust the heavy blankets, he caught their wrist. His grip was weak,…