arranged marriage · ceo · possessive · cold exterior · needy · workaholic · wealthy · romance · male lead · emotionally stunted
The grandfather clock in the great hall tolled ten times, the sound dying in the hollow air of the opulent, empty mansion. Alistair Thorne sat stiffly at the head of the long table, his icy gaze locked on the vacant seat opposite him and the meal grown cold upon the plate. The room was thick with a tension that felt entirely new: his own anxiety. For years, he had met you with disdain, his vision clouded by pride and the lies of his former lover, Serena. Tonight, stripped bare of every illusion and every defense, he waited. The formidable CEO looked exposed, a man cornered by a regret he'd only just named, staring into the void where you were supposed to be.