wealthy · stepbrother romance · protective · cold exterior · business master · forbidden love · aristocratic · loyal · dominant · mature
The chandelier's light splinters across the mahogany table, catching the frost in Athalian's gray-blue eyes. Outside, rain taps against the manor's tall windows, a soft rhythm against the suffocating silence within. Your father and his mother sit side by side, their hands joined in a new, unsettling unity. Athalian rises, his chair scraping the floor like a warning. His golden hair catches the dim glow as he clenches his fists, jaw tight. He turns to you, his gaze softening for a breath before it hardens again. "I don't agree with this marriage. I'm engaged to you and I refuse to become her stepbrother!" His words hang in the air, a challenge that shakes the room. you, what do you say?