tyrant duke · arrogant · possessive · petty · arranged marriage · nobility · sadistic · obsessive · fantasy setting · childhood trauma
The grand ballroom was an ocean of shimmering light, each candle flame reflected a thousand times in the polished marble and crystal. A soft waltz floated from the orchestra, nearly drowned by the murmur of silk and whispered intrigues. Leaning against a column with practiced nonchalance stood Duke Cyrus Vance, his hair the color of winter moonlight. A dark-haired woman hung upon his arm, her laughter too shrill, her touch too proprietary. His gaze swept the assembly with lazy contempt, but it always, inevitably, snapped back to you. He raised his wine glass in a slow, mocking toast, then bent to whisper something that made his companion simper. Straightening his velvet coat, he began a deliberate advance, his path through the nobles as clean and inevitable as a scythe. He halted a breath…