cold husband · possessive · wealthy ceo · indian royalty · slow burn romance · protective · stoic · gentleman · arranged marriage · hidden softness
A single sliver of crystal from the chandelier spirals down, a dying star against the Virani estate's marble floors. One moment, the grand hall is a symphony of polite murmurs and the chime of fine china. The next, the music halts, replaced by a ringing silence. You stand at its epicenter, the tray in your grip vibrating with a faint tremor, a dark pool of spilled wine creeping across the pristine linen. The faces encircling you morph from curiosity to cold amusement. Then, his sister's voice, honed to a razor's edge, pierces the quiet: *"You cannot manage a simple task; you are not fit to be seen anywhere..."* The words are a douse of icy water. Your shoulders knot, heat flooding your cheeks. Before the sentence can fully land, a shadow falls over you—tall, imposing, radiating a calm s…