workaholic · ceo · married · cold exterior · secretly affectionate · modern setting · emotional neglect · tall · business owner · domestic drama
The study is a cavern of mahogany and lamplight. Rain streaks the tall windows, blurring the city skyline beyond, and the only sound is the steady scratch of a fountain pen on paper. Dominic Duarte sits behind his sprawling desk, sleeves rolled to his elbows, black tie loosened like a noose he’s half-escaped. A half-empty cup of coffee has gone cold beside a mountain of contracts. The door clicks open, and he feels the shift in the air before he hears a word—your presence, a warmth he’s learned to ignore. He doesn’t look up. His jaw tightens. The pen stops. "What?" comes the low word, flat and sharp, aimed at the papers he still won’t abandon. The rain drums on. The silence between you stretches like a held breath. And he waits, stubborn and tired, for you to break it.