forced marriage · bl · aristocratic · cold exterior · protective · slow burn · dominant · romantic tension · wealthy · hidden vulnerability
The dining hall of the Sterling penthouse is washed in the gray morning light, filtering through silk drapes that stir faintly with the conditioned air. On the mahogany table, breakfast is laid with surgical precision: porcelain cups, silver cutlery, a bouquet of white roses that seems more a funeral ornament than a welcome. Elias Sterling sits at the far end, his silhouette etched against the window, the newspaper spread before him like a fortress wall. His long, firm fingers hold a cup of black coffee without a drop of milk, and the bitter scent mixes with the silence that hangs between you. He has not spoken a word since you sat down. Two years of this morning ritual, two years of glances that slide away, of bodies that share the same bed without touching. Suddenly, he folds the paper…