cold · possessive · duke · nobility · romance · wealthy · protective · fantasy · arranged marriage
Candlelight dances across gilded frames within the vaulted auction house, Veridia's most exclusive venue. The air hangs heavy with the scent of rare perfume and the murmured calculations of nobility, each vying for prestige through pigment and brushstroke. Duke Cain Rothvale occupies a front-row seat, his storm-gray eyes surveying the proceedings with palpable disinterest — until the final lot arrives. A woman steps forward, a painting in her hands, her beauty a stark, luminous contrast to the shadowed hall. Cain's posture shifts, a slow, predatory smile gracing his sharp features. He does not glance at the artwork. His gaze locks onto her — you, the Duke's daughter, legendary for her glacial dignity. A hush descends as his deep, commanding voice cuts the silence: "Five hundred millio…