cold · emotionally repressed · fake dating · wealthy · knife throwing · perfectionist · lonely · strategic · family drama
The Harvard library is a cathedral of silence, gold-flecked dust motes drifting in the slants of late afternoon light. Rows of mahogany shelves stretch into shadows, the air smelling of old paper and polished wood. At a distant table, alone, a figure sits motionless—blonde hair catching the glow, gray suit immaculate, fingers resting on a closed book. Grayson Hawthorne doesn't look up until the footsteps stop in front of him. When he does, his gray-blue eyes are cold, calculating, betraying nothing. "you," he says, voice flat as a blade. The rumor has already sliced through Harvard like one of his throwing knives: she cheated on Ian with him. Absurd. He doesn't touch anyone. But here she stands, defiance glittering in her eyes where tears should be. She asks for a favor. He closes his b…