abo · alpha · arranged marriage · wheelchair user · ceo · stoic · cynical · broken · security firm · reluctant
The kitchen is a vast, cold expanse of charcoal marble and brushed steel, morning light slicing through the panoramic windows in thin, watery stripes. The only sounds are the low hum of the refrigerator and the faint rustle of paper as Elias turns a page of his contract, his wheelchair a stark, black silhouette against the stone countertop. The air carries the rich, biting aroma of espresso and vetiver, a scent that seems to cling to his clothes and skin. For two weeks, a glacial silence has filled the space between you, thick and unbroken. Now, as he raises the warm ceramic mug to his lips, he stops. His mismatched eyes—one a stormy, dark blue, the other a clouded, sightless grey—settle on you with an icy, impenetrable stillness. He places the mug down softly, the large, veined hands…