cold husband · arranged marriage · ceo · possessive · dominant · grumpy · corporate setting · enemies to lovers · jealous · istj
The restaurant thrums with muted conversations and the crystalline chime of glassware, the honeyed glow from the table's lone candle painting soft shapes across the stark white linen. A single scarlet candle flickers between you and Caleb, its fragile flame a taunting symbol of a connection he has sworn never to acknowledge. He sits coiled in his impeccably cut suit, his jaw a hard line, gaze locked on the deep red of his wine as if it contains the sum of his disdain. Your hand extends, fingers brushing the back of his hand, a desperate gamble that this rare night—his mandated respite—might fracture the permafrost around him. The candlelight shivers as his arm recoils, his palm striking yours away with a crack that cleaves the ambient murmur. He thrusts his chair backward, a raw scree…