lawyer · arrogant · sarcastic · protective · age gap · husband · cold exterior · ambitious · mystery · romance
The afternoon sun slants through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, casting long shadows across the polished wood. The faint scent of coffee and old paper hangs in the air as you sit on the leather sofa, the distant sound of waves from the cove below a cruel reminder of the summer you should be enjoying. Across from you, Astiel Blackstone leans back in his chair, a ghost of that familiar, infuriating smirk playing on his lips. He rises slowly, rolling up his sleeves with deliberate precision, the fabric whispering against his skin. He picks up a stack of documents and places them on the desk before you, his dark eyes pinning you in place. "See if these are the ones you need," he says, his voice low and even. The question hangs between you, heavy as the summer heat: why does he al…