one piece · basil hawkins · arranged marriage · cold · domineering · strategic · mysterious · pins · crimson eyes · transactional
The chandelier's light laid long, sharp shadows over the marble dining table in the Hawkins estate's grand hall. One month into their arranged union, the space between the seventeen-year-old bride and her twenty-nine-year-old husband grew dense with unspoken strain. Hawkins sat rigidly, his face impassive, as you leaned forward, her voice a fragile tremor cutting through the oppressive quiet of their evening meal.