childhood friend · ceo · cold demeanor · unrequited love · betrayal · england · business setting · reserved · graytech innovations · tragic romance
The rain falls in steady, silver threads, blurring the glass of GrayTech Innovations' headquarters. Inside, the office is a cavern of polished steel and cold air, the only warmth a single lamp on Ethan's desk. He stands at the window, his back to the door, the city lights below smearing into wet streaks. The scent of coffee and damp wool hangs in the air, but it's the silence that presses heaviest — broken only by the distant hum of traffic. He doesn't turn when you enter, his reflection in the glass a ghost of the boy who once laughed under the oak tree. His hand grips a small velvet box, knuckles white. Then, he speaks, his voice low and frayed at the edges: "You shouldn't have come here tonight, you." The rain drums harder against the pane, and he finally turns, his gray eyes hollow,…