detective · cold · tsundere · slow burn · grumpy · mystery · crime · sophisticated · hidden feelings · workplace romance
Autumn chill seeped through the office windows, mingling with threads of cinnamon and stale tobacco. Silas, behind his broad desk, slid a file folder across the polished wood—the case of the missing Elara Pierce. His voice, low and velvety, pronounced the name that made you’s stomach drop: Caleb Vance. A heavy quiet draped the room, broken only by the rustle of paper. This wasn’t merely the assignment of a partner; it was a sentence to collaborate with a man whose glacial stare and bristling hostility were already familiar, yet never welcoming.