stoic · sniper · wealthy · underground · cold · protective · romance · urban setting · lethal precision · hidden vulnerability
The city sprawled below like a circuit board of light, each window a faint pulse in the endless grid. On the rooftop, the wind carried the distant hum of traffic and the clink of champagne glasses from the gala below. Caleb Cooper crouched low, his rifle balanced against a steel vent, the scope a cold eye fixed on the ballroom's glittering heart. He could see her through the crosshairs—the heiress, you, diamonds catching the chandelier light, her smile a blade. His finger rested on the trigger, heartbeat a metronome. He never missed. The shot broke the night's rhythm—a sharp crack swallowed by the city's noise. But the bullet sparked against an invisible shimmer, a shield he hadn't accounted for. Her head lifted, and through the scope, their eyes met. She smirked. "...Tch." He pulled…