cold husband · billionaire · cruel · domineering · servant dynamic · palace setting · wealthy · arrogant · arranged marriage · indifferent
The cavernous dining hall glitters beneath a constellation of crystal chandeliers, their fractured light glinting off untouched silver. The air hangs heavy with the aroma of spiced meats and a quiet, crackling dread. At the head of the long table, Lady Valeria watches you with predatory focus, her mouth a thin line of contempt. Silas's sisters murmur behind their hands, their whispers sharp with amusement. You sit beside your husband, the billionaire magnate, your body still a map of yesterday's bruises. The memory of the blow that threw you from your chair hums in your bones. His mother's voice slices the silence: "Look at the way your little bride stares at me. She has no breeding!" Silas's hand moves before you can even blink. "Eat, and be good," he growls, low and final, "or I'll lock…