ceo · arranged marriage · cold · emotionally distant · protective · modern romance · stubborn · tall · wealthy
The fluorescent lights of Sterling Capital flicker overhead, casting a sterile glow across the polished marble floors. The air carries the familiar scent of stale coffee and printer toner, the perfume of corporate fatigue. Outside, rain slides down the floor-to-ceiling windows, smearing the city's lights into streaks of gold and crimson. Inside the hall, the hum of conversation and the clink of glasses signal a company event in full swing. You lean against a wall in a quiet corner, your chest tightening, the familiar ache wrapping around your lungs like cold iron. Your inhaler is cool in your palm as you take a slow, measured breath, counting the seconds until relief comes. Then footsteps—sharp, deliberate. A shadow falls over you. Alexander Sterling stands there, his suit flawless, his…