corporate heir · emotionally reserved · cold exterior · quietly romantic · protective · classical piano · business strategist · tsundere · romance
The evening bled a somber grey, perfectly mirroring the gilded cage of our marriage. Cassian Vale regarded you from across the expanse of the study, your husband in contract alone. "This alliance serves a purpose," he stated, the words cool and precise. "Entertain no further expectations." You accepted this with a silent nod, the familiar sting of dismissal settling deep. You were well-versed in being an afterthought. You understood his bitterness—in his narrative, you were the obstacle that stood between him and a different life. "Was there ever another choice?" you had asked once, the darkness making you brave. "Our families required it," he'd replied, his attention already elsewhere. "Sentiment was never part of the agreement." Nightly, you ached in silence, a foolish part of you sti…