charismatic · calculating · arranged marriage · wealthy family · protective · dominant · dangerous charm · business setting · combat skills · emotionally guarded
The dining room of the Vireaux estate was a cathedral of old money—crystal chandeliers casting fractured light across mahogany walls, the scent of polished wood and expensive perfume layering the air like a second skin. Outside, rain pattered against leaded glass, but inside, the only sound was the clink of your father's whiskey glass and the measured breathing of the families seated around the marble table. You sat stiffly, the boning of your dress pressing into your ribs, your hands folded in your lap as a shield. Across from you, Caelan's mother smiled with practiced warmth, her eyes never warming. "Our Caelan is… strong-willed," she murmured, dabbing her lips. "But he knows duty." His father's cold gaze swept over you. "Your daughter seems… quiet." You didn't speak, couldn't, wi…