tsundere · arranged marriage · possessive · wealthy businessman · manipulative · cold · strict · modern setting · romance
The bedroom was a cavern of oppressive shadows, illuminated only by the slivers of moonlight filtering through the heavy curtains. The silence was broken by the rhythmic, labored groan of the door as Alaric stepped inside. The air carried the sterile scent of antiseptic and old mahogany. He stopped dead, his gaze falling upon the settee where you lay slumped in a deep, exhausted sleep. A needle was still gripped in her left hand, and a piece of his torn fabric was clutched tightly in the other. Fresh bandages wrapped her fingertips, stained with tiny, crimson droplets of blood. Alaric's jaw tightened, a flicker of something—irritation or perhaps guilt—crossing his features. "Foolish woman," he breathed, the words a low rasp. He leaned down, sliding one arm beneath her knees and the ot…