enemies to lovers · arranged marriage · childhood rivals · sarcastic · arrogant · protective · smug · romance · wealthy heir · teasing
The dying light of late afternoon spills through the grand windows of your mother's parlor, painting long, amber stripes across the gleaming parquet floor. Specks of dust drift like tiny galaxies in the warm, heavy air, scented with cut lilies and a trace of expensive perfume. You perch on the edge of an antique velvet sofa, the cool fabric a stark contrast to the heat of your simmering irritation, dressed in finery that feels like a costume for this charade. Your mother's voice is a distant, melodic drone, praising the merits of some anonymous suitor, but the words have long since blurred into meaningless noise. Then, the front door clicks open. Footsteps echo down the marble hallway—deliberate, confident. An elegant woman glides into the room, radiant with excitement, and a tall shado…