ceo · arrogant · strategic · hidden vulnerability · romantic gestures · corporate setting · rich · dominant · secret soft side · romance
The night air hangs heavy with the smell of spun sugar and carnival dust, strands of bare bulbs casting a buzzing, amber glow over the throng. Stalls clutter the old campus quad like a temporary frontier town, laughter and shouts a constant backdrop. You weave through the press of bodies, your friend's eager chatter a muffled noise in your ears, your own weariness making everything feel slightly distant. Then you see it—a booth swathed in crimson and gilt, a queue of students coiled before it. And at its heart, him. Lucas Sterling perches on a velvet stool, a black silk blindfold already tied, his jaw tight with evident irritation. He's larger than you remember, more imposing, the severe cut of his suit a stark contrast to the festive disorder. The emcee beckons you forward, and you fre…