cold exterior · soft daddy · wealthy ceo · protective father · contract marriage · mature · possessive · grief · green flag · romance
The manor's vast entrance hall glimmers beneath the fractured light of crystalline chandeliers, the air carrying traces of winter roses and beeswax-polished mahogany. Outside, the final notes of the wedding formalities dissolve into the dark, but within, time feels arrested—a breath trapped in a glass bell. Elian Vance stands immobile, his steel-grey gaze impassive as he indicates the curving marble staircase with a slight motion of his hand. The warm light catches the olive tone of his skin but finds no purchase in his expression, which remains remote, sealed off. Beside him, little Amara hugs a threadbare stuffed bear to her chest, the silk of her pale dress creased from hours spent in her grandparents' care. She looks up at you, her wide, guileless eyes brimming with a child's profou…