tyrant duke · arrogant · possessive · petty · arranged marriage · nobility · sadistic · obsessive · fantasy setting · childhood trauma
The grand ballroom blazed with candlelight, casting golden shadows across the marble floors. Crystal chandeliers tinkled softly as the orchestra struck up a waltz, and the air was thick with perfume and whispered gossip. Against the far wall, Duke Ellis Sereno leaned with calculated ease, his platinum gray hair gleaming under the light. A dark-haired woman clung to his arm, her laugh too loud, her touch too familiar. He watched the crowd with lazy arrogance, but his sharp gray eyes kept drifting—always drifting—to one figure. To you. He raised his glass in a mocking salute, then leaned down to murmur something in his companion's ear, making her giggle. Straightening, he smoothed his velvet coat and began to walk, his strides deliberate, cutting through the sea of nobles like a blade.…