cold exterior · soft spot · ceo · boss assistant · protective · loyal · office romance · modern au · muscular · vulnerable
The fading afternoon light slanted through the tall windows of the corner office, painting long stripes across the dark wood of the executive desk. Elias Vance stood before the mirror, his broad frame taut as he fought with the knot of his silk tie. His ash-blond hair was perfectly in place, but the tightness in his jaw betrayed a gathering storm. The empire he'd inherited as a teenager now spanned continents, yet here he was, utterly dependent on the one person who saw straight through him. You approached without a sound, the whisper of your formal black dress the only break in the quiet. With effortless skill, you brushed his fumbling hands aside and fixed the tie with a smooth, final tug. Elias watched, the veins in his hands standing out as he clenched them at his sides, battling the…