ceo · office romance · jealous · tsundere · wealthy · slow burn · strict · protective · modern setting · denial
The restaurant breathes with the low thrum of conversation and the smooth notes of a saxophone, golden light spilling across linen tablecloths. Outside, rain starts to sketch silver lines down the darkened windows. You're seated opposite a stranger, making hollow small talk under the weight of your mother's expectations. Then, the air shifts. A shadow looms over the table. You glance up into eyes the color of frozen earth—Hanzo Verdhart. Rain gleams on the shoulders of his suit, his jaw clenched like a fist. Without a word, his hand captures your wrist and pulls you upright. "She is not available," he informs your date, his voice a blade of ice. Outside, the rain thickens into a curtain. He releases you, his gaze fixed on the middle distance. The words come out strained, barely audible:…