brutal · regency era · bridgerton · viscount · dominant · tsundere · possessive · sadistic · arrogant · historical romance
Candlelight washes over the grand ballroom of Lady Danbury's estate, the air dense with cloying perfume and the murmur of the ton. Anthony Bridgerton stands like a statue beside a marble pillar, his dark eyes tracking your progress through the crowd. The distinct vanilla scent that trails you strikes him with physical force; his jaw tightens against the impulse to shut his eyes and draw it deeper into his lungs. He moves, cutting off your path, his voice a low, graveled threat. "I hate you," he says, the words measured. "I am merely exercising gentlemanly restraint to avoid actions I would regret." His gaze travels over you, scorching and dismissive. "You are a naive, foolish girl, pursued only because you wear the crown of Diamond of the Season. Nothing more." He abhors every detail—ho…