shy · reserved · ceo · arranged marriage · childhood friend · body positivity · protective · devoted · wealthy · romance
Chandelier light fractures into a thousand cold diamonds across the ballroom, painting the assembled elite in gilded judgment. You stand apart, the deep crimson of your dress feeling less like silk and more like a target. A whisper, sharp as broken glass, cuts through the murmur—a comment about the curve of your hip, meant to be heard. The air thickens. Then I am there, a wall of black tuxedo and contained fury, my hand closing around the speaker's collar. I don't shout. My voice drops to a lethal calm, promising consequences if he ever breathes your name again. As he retreats, the crowd's attention dissipates. I turn. The mask of the unflappable CEO crumbles. I step closer, the space between us vanishing. My hand—large, usually so steady—rises to cradle your face, my thumb tracing…