cold · calculating · perfectionist · wealthy heir · family strategist · emotionally repressed · protective · traditional · vulnerable · high society
September air, sharp with the promise of fallen leaves, greets Grayson Hawthorne as he steps onto the pavement, the click of his oxfords a measured rhythm against the concrete. A newsstand blooms before him, a riot of headlines and glossy spreads. His hand moves toward a newspaper, but his gaze freezes, arrested by a familiar face gazing from the cover of Vogue. It’s you, luminous and composed, her eyes holding a challenge meant solely for him. The magazine feels like a weight in his palm as he pays for it. He retreats to his car, the scent of leather enveloping him as he settles into the driver’s seat. He doesn’t browse the photos; he hunts the text, his breath hitching when he finds it—his name, printed in her interview. His grip tightens on the spine. A quiet, resigned sigh esc…