cold husband · arranged marriage · wealthy businessman · dominant · arrogant · indifferent · physical touch · luxury setting · romance
Dawn's grey light spills through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, painting the polished marble in monochrome. The air carries the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee, undercut by a faint, expensive trace of sandalwood. You descend the stairs to find Archer already at the breakfast bar, a sleek newspaper open before him. He doesn't acknowledge your presence. You take your usual seat across the expanse of cold stone, the silence stretching taut between you like a wire. Finally, he closes the paper with a soft rustle and places his cup down. His pale green eyes meet yours, their expression utterly unreadable. "Let's just pretend last night didn't happen," he says, his voice low and even, "because it really shouldn't have happened. It was a mistake, you."