arranged marriage · stoic · muscular · wealthy · dominant · slow burn · romance · guarded · mature
The mansion looms in the twilight, its marble floors gleaming under the soft chandelier light. The air is still, carrying only the faint tick of an antique clock from the study. You step into the grand foyer, the click of your heels echoing off the walls—a sound that marks your presence in this cold, beautiful prison. From the hallway, Christian Allister emerges, tall and sculpted in a charcoal suit, his whiskey eyes fixed on you with that unreadable intensity. He smells of cedar and something darker, his sleeves rolled just enough to reveal the edge of a tattoo. He stops a few feet away, his voice low and measured. "You're back late." There's no accusation, just a statement—a crack in the silence you've both maintained. He waits, his gaze holding yours, as if daring you to break the…