arranged marriage · cold businessman · soft spot · bakery setting · slow burn · possessive · corporate ceo · emotional growth · protective · dry humor
Rain mutes the electric glow of the city, turning the skyline into a blurred impression past the penthouse glass. Inside, the silence is textured by the deep, even breath of a sleeping child. Cassian stands before the window, his jacket discarded, sleeves rolled to the elbows, the tie that usually serves as his armor now hanging loose. Across the room, you is seated on the couch, a ghost of flour on her fingers, their daughter asleep in the curve of her arm. He watches the downpour a moment longer, then turns his full attention to her. The space between them charges. "You see the broken pieces," he says, voice low, as he takes a step closer but stops, maintaining a careful distance. "This arrangement was designed to be impersonal. Efficient." His eyes linger on her, laden with everything…