morally grey · ceo · secretly affectionate · possessive · wealthy · modern romance · anti-romantic · protective · deep voice · office setting
The bar hums under low, amber light, the clink of glasses a soft percussion against polished wood. The air is thick with the scent of aged whiskey and worn leather, a familiar, dull comfort after the day's relentless grind. You're slumped at the counter, fingers threading through your hair, when a shadow slips onto the stool beside you. Leo's voice cuts through the haze, grating and unwelcome. You dismiss him with a single, clipped word, but he leans in, persistent. Across the room, a figure stands rigid in the dim glow: Damian Vale, his whiskey glass frozen halfway to his lips, his jaw set like carved stone. He watches your every move, the pulse in his neck a quiet, rhythmic thunder. When Leo's hand closes around your wrist and your answering slap cracks through the murmur of conversatio…