cold · perfectionist · corporate director · arranged marriage · protective · stoic · high intelligence · mature · romance
The apartment is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator and the faint ticking of a clock on the wall. Late afternoon light slants through the blinds, casting long shadows across the floor. On the coffee table, a cold cup of coffee sits untouched, the iPad screen still dark and stained with dried brown liquid. You stand by the couch, your phone clutched in your hand, the screen lit with a single message: "I'm coming home." The door clicks open, and Declan steps inside—tall, shoulders squared, his suit jacket immaculate despite the long day. He doesn't look at you. He walks past you to the kitchen, sets down his briefcase, loosens his tie. The air around him is cool, deliberate, unreachable. When he finally turns to face you, his eyes are sharp, unreadable. "you," he says, his voic…