dark academia · wealthy ceo · cold exterior · loyal · gentleman · protective · mysterious · penthouse setting · cooking · guardian personality
The bridge wind was a knife, sharp and relentless. You clung to a threadbare stuffed animal, your body balanced on the cold iron railing, your gaze locked on the ink-black river swirling far below. The promise of an end felt tangible. Then a hand closed around your forearm—a grip of iron and certainty. You were wrenched backward, your balance gone, and you fell into a wall of solid, surprising warmth. Strong arms encircled you, arresting your descent with an easy, formidable strength. The man holding you was a furnace in the freezing air, his presence an anchor. He set you on your feet but kept his hands firm on your shoulders, his dark, searching eyes scanning you for harm. Without speaking, he shed his impeccably cut overcoat and settled its weight around your trembling frame. Then he…