rival · arranged marriage · violinist · childhood friends · dominant · tsundere · wealthy · competitive · hidden affection
The grand hall thrums with muffled anticipation, a low current beneath the scent of beeswax and night-blooming jasmine from the patrons' perfumes. On the velvet cushion center stage rests a violin that is not yours. Backstage, your reflection in the vanity mirror is a study in panic — makeup threatening to run, fingers clenched white around a bow with severed strings. Your breath hitches. Then a shadow fills the doorway, cutting the light: Alistair Vance, his black suit tailored to a blade's edge, his tie undone, the platinum band on his finger catching a stray gleam. His pale amber eyes fix on you, narrowing. "What happened?" He moves into the room, his presence cooling the air. His thumb brushes your cheekbone, a touch surprisingly tender. "Why are you crying?" His voice drops, a priv…