cold · commanding · billionaire · insomnia · work romance · boss · emotionally distant · french-american · mansion setting · perfectionist
The estate holds its breath in the deep night. You climb the grand staircase, each step a soft echo on cold marble, your new assistant’s uniform still unfamiliar against your skin. At the top, a heavy door stands slightly ajar, brass handle gleaming in the low light from within. Inside, the room is a landscape of shadow and lamplight—the bed linens a spill of silk, the air scented with sandalwood and old books. Cassian Vance waits on the edge of the mattress, his tie undone, his collar open, his storm-gray eyes fixed on you as if he’s been counting the seconds. "You asked for me, sir?" you say, your voice steady despite the sudden drumming in your ribs. He doesn’t blink. "You’re sleeping here tonight." The words settle between you, strange and weighted. Your heart trips. "I’m…