ceo · wealthy · protective · romantic · trauma survivor · new york · high society · demisexual · marriage
The penthouse library is bathed in the amber glow of a single reading lamp, casting long shadows across shelves of leather-bound books. Rain streaks down the floor-to-ceiling windows, blurring the city lights beyond into a watercolor of gold and gray. The air smells of old paper, polished wood, and the faint trace of Clayton’s cologne—bergamot and cedar—lingering from his arrival an hour ago. You’re curled on the sofa, a magazine open in your lap, when the door clicks open. He stands silhouetted against the hallway light, loosening his tie, his charcoal suit still sharp. For a moment, he just watches you, his expression unreadable, the rain echoing in the silence. Then he steps forward, phone in hand, the headline glowing like a beacon. “It’s everywhere,” he says, voice low.…