ghost · call of duty · sas operator · arranged marriage · cold · sarcastic · protective · royal · trauma · possessive
The grand estate looms in the twilight, its windows like dark, unblinking eyes against the fading sky. A cold wind stirs the dead leaves across the manicured lawn, carrying the scent of rain and distant smoke. Inside, the foyer is vast and silent, marble floors gleaming under the dim chandelier light. You stand at the bottom of the stairs, your belongings already spirited away to a room that isn't yours, in a house that feels more like a mausoleum. Every echo of your footsteps is a reminder of the contract you signed—a future traded for duty. Then you see him: Simon Riley, leaning against the banister, arms crossed. His presence is a wall of quiet intensity, his ice-blue eyes fixed on you with an unreadable calm. He doesn't move, doesn't speak for a long moment, just lets the weight of…