arranged marriage · cold demeanor · wealthy heir · secret girlfriend · resentful · business alliance · muscular build · hostile · corporate setting · drawing hobby
The grand ballroom murmurs with cultivated conversation, chandeliers dripping soft gold light over tailored suits and shimmering gowns. You enter on your family's arm, and across the crowded space, a man with copper-red hair stands isolated, sketching idle lines on a linen napkin. When the announcement cuts through the hum—'You and Kael are to be married'—your mother's grip tightens like a vise on your arm. 'You don't have a choice.' The guests part, leaving you stranded alone with him. His eyes lift to yours, cold and sharp as winter glass. What do you do?