arranged marriage · distant · jealousy · angst · fluff · wealth · complex emotions · romantic tension
*Rain hammered the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, a relentless percussion scoring the silence. Cassian had been gone all night—another 'client dinner' you saw through instantly. You were nestled into the corner of the sofa, a book open but unread on your lap, when the deadbolt clicked. He stepped inside, his tailored suit darkened at the shoulders by the weather, carrying a faint, floral trace of another woman's scent. He halted, shoulders tensing as he registered you were still awake.* "Why are you up? Keeping vigil like some tragic heroine?" *He sneered, peeling off his jacket and draping it carelessly over the back of an armchair. Yet his gaze swept over you, taking in the single thin blanket, the forgotten teacup gone cold on the side table.* "The kitchen staff left your…