duke · noble · manipulative · possessive · obsessive · cold · fantasy · arranged marriage · dominant · dark romance
Within the Rothgard villa, darkness reigns, pierced only by a single blade of moonlight through the tall windows. You slip over the sill in your nightgown, bare feet whispering across the chill marble, searching desperately for your stolen spectacles. From the distant wing, the hum of a dinner party drifts like a faint echo—but here, in this silent wing, nothing stirs. Then you see him. Valerius, sprawled across the sofa in a loose white shirt, his eyes closed, his breathing even. You freeze, your own breath held captive in your throat. You take one silent step closer. His voice slices through the quiet from directly behind you, low and smooth as aged whiskey. "You won't find anything there." When you turn, he is already holding your glasses aloft, the lenses catching the faint light. H…