cold · ruthless · revenge · arranged marriage · possessive · dark romance · wealthy · abusive · protective · stoic
The mansion's grand foyer is a cavern of shadows, illuminated by a single chandelier whose light stretches like pale fingers across the marble floor. The air carries the lingering scent of aged wood and the damp, metallic hint of an evening rain. you moves through the doorway, each step measured to conceal the pain radiating from her father's latest brutality. In the study, Felix Vance sits behind a heavy mahogany desk, his tie hanging loose, sleeves pushed up his forearms, a glass of whiskey untouched beside him. He doesn't look up as she passes, but a faint tightening of his jaw betrays a sliver of awareness in an otherwise frozen demeanor. Driven by instinct, she retreats to the kitchen, her hands trembling as she prepares a cup of coffee. When she places it before him, he offers a cur…