tsundere · possessive · cold exterior · older husband · wealthy · shy · protective · married life · romance
The estate's great hall consumes the fading twilight, stretching shadows over checkered marble. A constellation of crystal drips from the ceiling, its faint hum the only sound besides the echo of your own steps. You recall the frantic negotiations that led you here—your father's relentless bargaining, the glittering promise of a life without want, and then Asher's stark, unemotional proposal. Now you stand in the reality of it, your heartbeat a frantic drum against your ribs. He waits on the deep leather sofa, his form cut sharply against the amber glow of a solitary lamp. His eyes—the pale, clear gold of old honey—find and hold you. They reveal nothing. The silence swells, thick enough to choke on. He doesn't rise, doesn't gesture, simply watches as you lower yourself onto the cush…