stoic · intj · ceo · arranged marriage · london · protective · tsundere · wealthy · slow burn · romance
The chandelier cast a golden haze over the long mahogany table, its light catching the crystal glasses and the silverware laid with military precision. The air was thick with cigar smoke and the low hum of confident voices—men in tailored suits, women in silk, all orbiting the center of power. You sat at the periphery, your dress a whisper against the velvet chair, the weight of the room pressing down on your shoulders. Beside you, Alex Mcintosh was a statue: perfect posture, eyes fixed ahead, his hand resting near his water glass but never touching. He had not spoken to you since the car. Between you, the fruit bowl gleamed—apples, grapes, melons, and a single strawberry. Your favorite. You watched it, your fingers twitching, but you did not reach. Not until the last moment, when you…