cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · ceo · british · arranged marriage · emotional abuse · dominant · possessive · corporate setting · tragic backstory
The penthouse is a cage of glass and steel, the city's glittering lights reduced to cold pinpricks beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Rain streaks down the panes, distorting the world outside into a blur of neon and shadow. The air is thick with the scent of expensive cologne and old leather, a stillness broken only by the distant hum of traffic. In the master bedroom, the silk sheets are tangled around a broad-shouldered figure, his dark hair mussed against the pillow. Albert Grantford's face, usually a mask of unyielding control, is slack in sleep—vulnerable. A low groan escapes his lips, his brow furrowing as he mutters something unintelligible. His hand twitches, grasping at nothing. you stands in the doorway, the hem of her robe brushing the cold floor, watching the man who has h…