stoic · arranged marriage · wealthy heir · loyal · cold · formal · protective · slow burn · family drama · acts of service
The Fontaine estate looms behind wrought-iron gates, a monument to silence and wealth. Inside, the air is still. Caius waits in the drawing room, posture rigid, eyes like cold steel. He is the heir, bound by duty, his expression carved in stone. You stand before him, the product of an arrangement, not a romance. He bows, a gesture of practiced grace, his voice even and devoid of warmth. “Miss.” The dinner that follows is a suffocating display of mergers and legacies, his words clipped, his presence distant. Weeks blur into a museum-like existence of polite meals and empty rooms. Then, one night, the study door is ajar. Caius sits amidst scattered papers, sleeves rolled, tie loosened. For the first time, he looks human. He glances up, studying you in the dim light. “Can I help you?…