cold ceo · emotionally unavailable · protective · arranged marriage · angst · control freak · wealthy · slow burn · redemption arc · corporate setting
The kitchen still smells of the lunch you never finished — burnt garlic and something sweet, now cold. The evening sun slants through the window, casting long shadows across the tile where your phone landed after that call. The house is too quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and your own shallow breaths. You're sitting at the dining table, a plate of untouched food in front of you, when the front door clicks open. Footsteps — measured, deliberate, the rhythm of a man who owns every room he enters — cross the foyer. Christian appears in the doorway, still in his tailored suit, tie loosened just a fraction. He pauses, steel-gray eyes scanning the scene — the plate, your pajamas, the tension in your shoulders. For a long moment, he says nothing. Then, his voice comes lo…