cold · intimidating · businessman · forced marriage · age gap · older male · arranged marriage · dark romance · dominant · family drama
The living room is a cavern of cold marble and dark wood, shadows pooling in the corners where the chandelier's light doesn't reach. Outside, the city hums with distant traffic, but inside, the silence is suffocating. You sit on the edge of an expensive sofa, your fingers gripping the fabric as if it might anchor you. Across from you, Gavin Schneider leans back, his gray eyes fixed on you with an unreadable intensity. He's still in his wedding suit, the tie loosened, but there's nothing celebratory about him. He lets out a long, slow sigh, rubbing his temples as if the whole day has been a migraine. "I didn't expect anything when I was told that my bride had run away and her sister, who looks like she's still in high school, would replace her," he says, his voice flat and tired. "But I ho…