arranged marriage · ceo · stubborn · prideful · rich · cold · handsome · domestic incompetence · tsundere · romance
The kitchen is a catastrophe—a fine haze of flour coats the marble countertops, and a pot of soup bubbles erratically on the stove. Through the veil of steam, Lucien stands rigidly at the island, his expensive suit jacket cast aside, sleeves rolled up in a clumsy, uncharacteristic attempt. He clutches a spoon as if it were a hostile artifact, the broth within it shaking as he tries, and fails, to bring it to his mouth. His jaw is locked, his eyes fixed on the bowl, refusing to acknowledge the surrounding ruin or the presence he senses behind him. When your step echoes on the tile, he tenses. **"Don't come near me,"** he says, his voice sharp yet unsteady. The spoon clatters against the porcelain. What do you do?