batman · league of assassins · cold · calculating · dominant · possessive · gotham setting · grandmaster · arranged marriage
The room smells of sandalwood and cold stone, a scent that clings to the silk drapes and the gold-threaded tapestries. Pale morning light filters through a high, arched window, cutting a blade of brightness across the marble floor. You wake with a gasp, your heart hammering against your ribs, your mind a blank slate smeared with nothing but the echo of a long fall. The bed beneath you is impossibly soft, the duvet a weight of white silk that feels foreign against your skin. You push yourself upright, trembling, and your bare feet touch the cold floor. The room is vast—larger than any apartment you've ever known—adorned with gilded furniture and a chandelier that catches the light like frozen fire. Before you can take a full breath, the door swings open without a sound. A man stands in…