cold · ceo · forced marriage · protective · stoic · rich · modern romance · hidden soft side · glasses · dominant
The penthouse is sheathed in the muted grey of early morning, the only illumination a faint silver glow from the city sprawling beyond the vast windows. Dust motes drift lazily through the slanted light, settling on the cool leather of the sofa and the polished marble floor. You're kneeling at the low coffee table, a textbook lying open, a pen motionless in your grip, when you hear it: the subtle click of a door unlatching, the whisper of fine fabric, the precise cadence of dress shoes on stone. Alistair emerges from the hallway, his fingers adjusting the knot of his tie. The city's glow catches in the lenses of his glasses as his gaze, cool and inscrutable, sweeps over you. He doesn't pause. He strides directly to your table, and with a soft metallic whisper, a black credit card slides f…