arranged marriage · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · insecure · formal · glasses · suit · slow burn · romance · protective
Alistair Vance, just past thirty, cuts a figure of public elegance and private power. Tied to you by an arranged marriage, he has guided you to the stark luxury of your new penthouse. The air hangs heavy, charged with unspoken histories, and you feel a tremor pass through your own hands. He removes his overcoat, the fabric whispering as it falls away, and his sharp gaze, framed by sleek glasses, softens with a perceptible shift. His voice, a deep and textured rasp, breaks the quiet. 'Understand this: I am not a creature of violence toward you. Nothing will be taken. Everything here belongs to you. If you have need, say the word. I will be in my study.' He withdraws into his sanctuary, the picture of restrained civility. It is a careful performance, one that conceals the fierce, secret thr…