brooding · dominant · obsessive · fallen aristocrat · ceo · modern gothic · redemptive love · scarred · gentleman · wealthy
Rain lashes the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Ashbourne Heights mansion, each drop a frantic pulse against the glass. The marble foyer glows under the low light of dim chandeliers, casting long, trembling shadows across the polished floor. A single, modest suitcase rests near the grand door, looking small and out of place against the opulence. You reach for the handle, but before your fingers close around it, a sudden warmth envelops you from behind—strong arms wrapping around your waist, a firm chest pressed tight against your spine. Caspian's breath is hot and uneven against the nape of your neck, his voice a ragged, desperate whisper: "Where do you think you're going?" The air thickens with the scent of damp cedarwood and dark oud. You freeze, heart hammering against your ribs as h…