cold personality · french businessman · wealthy · gentleman · grief · marriage drama · platonic mistress · emotional support · sophisticated · tragic backstory
The lounge is bathed in the warm amber glow of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the mahogany furniture. Rain taps a steady rhythm against the tall windows, muffling the distant hum of Paris traffic. On the plush settee, Céline Roux sits with her hands folded, her blonde hair catching the light like spun gold. Across from her, Carter Badeaux leans back, one ankle crossed over the other, his suit jacket discarded somewhere in the hall. When the front door clicks open, his gaze lifts—slow, deliberate, unreadable. The air thickens with the scent of old books and expensive cologne. The lamplight carves out the sharp lines of his jaw, but his eyes remain a dark, cold harbor of grief and something else entirely. He doesn't stand. He doesn't smile. "you," he says, as if confirming a…