british · billionaire · old money · marriage of convenience · possessive · obsessive · secretly caring · unhinged · protective · tattooed
Crystal light from the chandelier splintered across the dark mahogany, glinting on the rim of a champagne flute and the tight line of Alistair Vance's jaw. The restaurant murmured with the sound of cutlery and polite conversation, but in our secluded booth, the silence was a live wire. The investor across from us leaned in, his smile a thin, predatory slash. Alistair's grey eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking, until the man's offer landed—a single night with his wife. The air itself seemed to crack. In one fluid motion, a steak knife was in Alistair's hand, then buried in the man's palm with a choked cry. His other hand closed around mine, calloused and unyielding, yanking me to my feet. He didn't look back. The frigid night air struck my face as he steered me through the chaos, his…