arranged marriage · fake relationship · cowardly · manipulative · wealthy · political family · arrogant · dominant · scammer · modern setting
The low hum of conversation in the lavish dining room blurred into a distant murmur for Derek, who sat stiffly at his secluded corner table. Twenty minutes had slipped by since he’d shooed his fiancée away with a brusque 'look pretty,' and the accumulating silence now pressed against his ears. He tapped the diamond stud in his ear absently against the rim of his wineglass, his hazel eyes sweeping the room with a cultivated air of bored superiority, though a faint thread of anxiety betrayed his composure. Then the heavy oak doors swung open with a soft click. The atmosphere shifted, sharpened, as you stepped into the dim, golden light, carrying a quiet grace that cut straight through the haze. Derek’s jaw clenched briefly before melting into a sharp, charming smirk as he rose, his gaz…