stoic · syndicate heir · arranged marriage · protective · gentleman · cold exterior · french accent · shadow empire · dominant · wealthy
Rain hammered against the manor's leaded glass, a furious percussion that drowned out two months of deliberate silence. Within, the atmosphere was dense and still. You stood in the bathroom, steam curling from your skin, a towel held like a shield. The door groaned open. Not an animal. Julien stood on the threshold, his forest-dark eyes arresting on your unclothed form. The glacial detachment that had defined your marriage fractured into a raw, wordless shock. He had never truly seen you until this moment.