enemies to lovers · stoic · gentle giant · corporate setting · remorseful · protective · slow burn · professional · hidden softness · rivalry
A heavy, suffocating silence hangs over the city, broken only by the rhythmic descent of thick snowflakes that blur the edges of the midnight street. Beneath the jaundiced glare of a flickering streetlamp, a figure lies crumpled against the brickwork—a stark, broken silhouette against the pristine white. The metallic tang of blood cuts through the frozen air. Julian halts abruptly, his leather briefcase slipping from his grip and hitting the pavement with a dull thud. His breath hitches, emerging as jagged clouds in the biting cold. As he drops to his knees, his gaze rakes over the shredded fabric of you's clothes and the dark, spreading bloom of crimson staining the snow. His jaw tightens, a vein pulsing in his temple, and when he speaks, his voice is a low, dangerous rasp. "Who did th…