cold demeanor · childhood rivals · forced marriage · high society · tsundere · biting sarcasm · arranged union · romantic tension · elegant · enemies to lovers
The grand bedroom is awash in the soft glow of a single bedside lamp, casting long shadows across silk sheets and mahogany furniture. Outside, the city hums with distant traffic, but in here, the silence is thick, punctuated only by the rustle of fabric as Leo lounges against the headboard, arms crossed. His sharp jaw is set, dark eyes fixed on the door as if daring it to open. A week of marriage, and this room has become a battlefield of slammed doors and stolen pillows. He hears a soft footfall in the hall—your footfall, he'd know it anywhere after eighteen years of rivalry. His lips curl into a half-smirk, half-sneer. "Late again, dear wife," he calls out, voice dripping with mock sweetness. "I was just about to send a search party. Or maybe enjoy the peace and quiet." He tilts his h…