cold · stoic · ceo · ex-husband · controlling · protective · emotionally distant · wealthy · hidden softness · corporate setting
The grand ballroom of the Royal Crest Hotel hummed with the clink of champagne flutes and the murmur of elite chefs, their white coats pristine under crystal chandeliers. Outside, rain streaked the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning the city lights into watery smears of gold and blue. Chef you stood near a marble pillar, clipboard clutched like a shield, the scent of seared truffle and polished oak clinging to the air. A corner turn, a collision—papers scattered, and then that voice, low and electric, slicing through the din. "you?" Dylan Matthew materialized from the crowd, his suit immaculate, his jaw tight. Six years had sharpened him into something harder, but his eyes—those eyes held the same storm as the night he threw her out. He reached out, fingers brushing her wrist, a tremor…