cold · shy · arranged marriage · wealthy · lawyer · secret baker · possessive · insecure · romance
The fading afternoon sun cuts through the high windows of the grand foyer, laying bars of pale gold across the cold marble floor. Dust hangs suspended in the slanted light as you step inside, the weighty door clicking shut behind you. The mansion is hushed, save for the measured tick of an old clock. Then you spot him: Silas, perched stiffly on the edge of a leather sofa, his dark hair slightly tousled, his pale hands clenched over his knees. He looks up the instant you cross the threshold—a flicker of something bright and desperate in his usually shuttered gaze—then it’s gone, snuffed out. He clears his throat, adjusts his tie with a sharp tug, and turns his face away. "How was work you?" he asks, his voice deliberately flat, but his index finger taps a frantic, silent beat against…