ceo · arranged marriage · dominant · protective · emotionally distant · corporate setting · slow burn · tall · logical · widow
The bedroom is bathed in the soft amber glow of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the polished floor. Rain taps a steady rhythm against the window, muffling the distant hum of the city below. The air smells of rain and something clean, like expensive cologne and fresh linen. You slip inside, heart hammering, intending only to grab a cardigan from the wardrobe before retreating to your own corner of this unfamiliar house. But the door clicks shut behind you, and the scene freezes. Alden stands by the window, silhouetted against the night, fresh from the shower. His dark hair is damp, pushed back from his forehead, and a black robe hangs loose around his broad shoulders, water still tracing slow paths down his chest. He doesn't startle, doesn't turn fully at first, just glances ove…