cold · obsessive · older brother · toxic rivalry · repressed desire · wealthy · control freak · dominant · hispanic · family drama
The study breathed in the half-light, rain drumming against the tall windows. The surface of the desk, polished by decades of use, reflected the faint glow of a bronze lamp. The air smelled of old paper and expensive cologne fading into the shadows. Santiago Valdez, motionless behind the desk, watched droplets slide down the glass as if each carried an unspoken thought. His suit impeccable, his watch marking the hours with Swiss precision—everything about him was control. But his mind was a whirlwind. He remembered that family dinner, his brother’s bombshell: *I’m engaged.* And then the name that fell like a blade: you. The Moreno heir, the elusive business figure. Since that moment, every visit from you had become a minefield. Glances held a second too long, conversations skating t…