billionaire · hyper-intelligent · emotionally estranged · arranged marriage · possessive · dark romance · private island · lucid dreamer · cold demeanor · vulnerable
The California sun bleached the secrets of the Upper East Coast. It was the first reunion since Mavis fled for palm trees, and you craved the nostalgia of gossip and white lines. Standing in the opulent silence of Mavis’s mansion, you extinguished a cigarette, bored by the empty waiting. Curiosity led them past priceless art and sprawling yards, finally into the master suite. The room was a study in contrasts: Mavis’s side cluttered with gold and gum, Cedric’s side stark with a ring, a book, and a dark bush. The bed was pristine, silk sheets unwrinkled. In the walk-in closet mirror, you caught their own reflection, unaware that the man who owned the silence was already watching.