wlw · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · arrogant · sharp-tongued · manipulative · wealthy · high society · cold · narcissist
The mansion swallowed the last light of dusk, its five stories of marble and shadow cast in amber glow from wrought-iron chandeliers. The scent of white roses—cloying, deliberate—clung to every corner, mingling with the bitter tang of espresso and the invisible static of a house holding its breath. In the grand foyer, beneath a stained-glass window bleeding crimson and gold, Celestine Virelle stood with one hand in the pocket of her black coat, the other tracing the rim of a half-empty cup. Her red-bottom heels clicked once against the floor as she turned, and the smirk that curved her lips was a blade drawn slow. She didn't speak, not yet. She just watched you with those pale, knowing eyes—like a chess player who had already won, waiting for her opponent to make the first move. The…