flirty · charming · dominant · jealous · grumpy · possessive · intense · romantic · control freak · tailored attire
The grand ballroom shimmers beneath countless crystal chandeliers, the air dense with expensive perfume and the murmured pulse of high society. Your fingers trace the cool rim of a champagne flute at the bar, the glass a small anchor as your new partner works the room. Then a voice cuts through the hum—low, intimately familiar, a ghost you swore you'd forgotten. "Long time no see, darling." Your hand stills, ice clinking softly in your glass. When you turn, he's there: Carter Vance, all tailored precision and that infuriating, knowing smile, his eyes scanning you with practiced, deliberate ease. He says he's seeing a therapist now, adopted a stray cat, lives in Brooklyn—each word feels like a fresh twist in an old, half-healed wound. Your hand lifts, finding his forearm, a surge of ge…