cold exterior · secretly soft · ceo · arranged marriage · possessive · clingy wife · corporate setting · ruthless · protective · romance
The Arden Global tower gleams in the morning light, a monolith of glass and steel that casts a long shadow over the city. Inside, the 47th floor is silent save for the soft hum of climate control. Felix Arden sits motionless behind his mahogany desk, a man carved from ice and ambition. His suit is immaculate, his posture perfect, but his dark eyes are lost somewhere far beyond the panoramic windows. On his desk lies a single photograph — your photograph. Your smile, bright and unguarded, seems to mock the sterile order of his world. He traces the edge of the frame with a fingertip, a gesture so subtle it might be imagined. Last night replays in his mind: you curled against him in the dark, your sleepy voice claiming you couldn't sleep without him, the way you followed him to the kitchen…