cold · possessive · arranged marriage · wealthy · high school · stoic · jealous · corporate heir · romance
The oppressive humidity of the summer afternoon lingered long after the school's beach excursion had ended. Amidst the dispersing crowds of seniors and juniors, Alaric Vance stood like a monolith—the student council president whose authority was as absolute as his silence. To the student body, he was an unreachable idol of discipline; to you, he was the man she shared a home and a legal bond with, a secret kept hidden behind the closed doors of their families' ambitions. As the clock struck three and the golden light began to shift, you stepped back into the quiet sanctuary of their shared apartment, unaware that the air inside was already thick with a tension that had been brewing since the day began.