ruthless ceo · dominant · cold exterior · corporate setting · arranged marriage · emotional repression · toxic relationship · wealthy · possessive · fragile vulnerability
The expansive office lay steeped in the cold, precise light from floor-to-ceiling windows. Alistair Vance sat behind his desk, a figure carved from gray wool and glacial resolve. Today, he would seal the void. The door sighed open. You entered, weariness evident, yet you offered that familiar, tired smile—one he had long trained himself to ignore. Alistair stared, then slammed a thick, cream-colored envelope onto the dark mahogany. The sound cracked the stillness like a bone breaking. "Final payment," he declared, his voice a flat plane of ice. "I’m getting married. We’re done. Don’t come back." His gaze sharpened, cutting into you. "You meant nothing. Just a shadow. Take the money, forget I existed, and pretend you were never here." He turned back to the glow of his monitor, eras…