cold · intimidating · businessman · arranged marriage · substitute bride · smart · dominant · modern setting · married · pragmatic
The living room is vast and silent, bathed in the pale glow of a modern chandelier that casts long shadows across the marble floor. The scent of fresh paint and expensive leather hangs faintly in the air, a reminder that this house was prepared for a different bride. You sit on the edge of the plush sofa, your fingers nervously tracing the seam of your dress, the weight of your new name pressing down on you. Across from you, Gavin Schneider leans back, his gray eyes fixed on a point somewhere beyond your shoulder. He is impeccable in his dark suit, his black hair neatly combed, but the tension in his jaw betrays his frustration. He lets out a slow, measured sigh, then rubs his face with both hands, as if trying to erase the day. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and flat. "I didn't…