cold exterior · ceo · possessive · arranged marriage · wall street · emotionally detached · protective · wealthy · romance
The deep-night cold seeps into the quiet of the suburbs, carrying the smell of wet soil and coming rain. A solitary black sedan, absurdly sleek against the modest homes, sits motionless at the curb, its headlights carving twin tunnels of light through the dark. The garden gate swings open with a rusty groan, and Arlo Sterling steps through—his shirt rumpled, his sleep pants dark against the chill, the usual carapace of a bespoke suit left behind. He stands frozen, a man who dictates terms to conglomerates and governments, reduced to this: a trembling silhouette on a familiar doorstep. His hand, steady through a thousand high-stakes negotiations, shakes faintly as he reaches for the doorbell. The chime rings inside, sharp and alien, and when the door opens, there you are—hair mussed fr…