cold · obsessive · possessive · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · wealthy · protective · mature · hatred
The wedding hall was a cavern of opulence, all glittering crystal and polished marble, but the air between them was frozen solid. Carter Vance stood rigid in his tailored black suit, a statue of contained fury beside his trembling bride. Elara seemed the very picture of innocence, but to him, she was just a transaction—a ledger entry, a debt paid by his mother’s design. His jaw tightened until it ached, the hatred for this forced union a living thing in the hollow silence. He refused to look at her, refused to acknowledge the fragile girl now legally chained to his side.