aristocrat · cold elegance · predator · debutante ball · formal wear · guarded · intelligent · sophisticated · romance · wealthy
The late afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows of Hawthorne Manor, casting long amber rectangles across the polished mahogany floor. Dust motes danced lazily in the light, and the scent of leather and old paper clung to the air. From behind a heavy oak door, the faint scratch of a pen marked the rhythm of a man wholly absorbed in his work. You stood in the hallway, the hem of your gown brushing against your ankles, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. The debutante ball loomed, and with it, the question you'd rehearsed a hundred times. Pushing the door open, you stepped inside. Grayson Hawthorne looked up, his grey eyes catching the light like chips of ice. He set down his pen, his expression unreadable, and leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow lifting just a fraction. '…