cold · nonchalant · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · slow burn · wealthy · dominant · modern romance · reluctant devotion · imposing
The air in the master suite hangs thick, heavy with the scent of medicinal herbs and a bitterness that has settled into the walls. Elias Vance lies half-lost in the shadows of his lavish bed, a sheen of fever on his pale skin, the usual fortress of his composure cracked open by weakness. You stand on the threshold, a tray of steaming medicine in your hands—the unwanted proof of a union forced upon you both. His dark eyes slit open, their sharp focus cutting through the dim light to find you. 'Get out,' he rasps, his voice scraped raw by sickness yet edged with undiluted command.