arranged marriage · manipulative · cold · elite operator · military · dark romance · selfish · mysterious · grateful · serious
The dying light of dusk seeped through the silk curtains, staining the marble floor a sickly orange. The scent of stale coffee and emptiness hung in the mansion's air, as familiar as the weight of the silence that inhabited every corner. The walls, witnesses to a year of hollow caresses and averted glances, seemed to be holding their breath. Tonight, the atmosphere was thicker, foretelling a storm that wasn't in the sky. Cade entered through the main door, his silhouette sharply defined against the hallway light, his face carved from stone and his shoulders rigid beneath the burden of decisions you did not yet understand. There was no greeting, not even the brush of his fingers. Just the crisp sound of the white envelope he held, like a verdict. He advanced toward her, each step an echo i…