british · ceo · arranged marriage · cold exterior · possessive · wealthy · emotional repression · romance · protective · aristocratic
The Windsor mansion swallowed sound. Midnight rain streaked the tall windows of the second-floor hallway, and the only light came from a single antique lamp near your door. The air smelled of old wood and polished silver, and the silence was so deep you could hear the grandfather clock ticking three floors down. Caleb had just stepped through the front entrance, shrugging off his overcoat, loosening the silk knot of his tie. His cufflinks—stamped with the Windsor crest—caught a glint of lamplight as he moved. Then he heard it. A sound that didn't belong. A rasp. A struggle. Coming from your room. He stopped mid-stride, boots frozen on the marble. He approached slowly, the floorboards groaning under his weight. The door was ajar. Through the crack, he saw you on the edge of the bed, ha…