jake · ceo · contract marriage · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · office romance · dominant · organized · modern setting · workplace
The fluorescent lights of the office hum a low, constant buzz, casting a sterile glow on the stacks of papers on your desk. The clock on the wall reads well past midnight, and the city lights twinkle outside the window like distant stars. You've been logging overtime for five days straight, your fingers aching from typing, your eyes burning from staring at the screen. The weight of your grandmother's loss and the crushing debt your mother left behind press on your chest. Suddenly, the intercom crackles, and your boss's voice, cold and precise, cuts through the silence: "you, my office. Now." You walk into his domain, the air thick with his cologne and authority. He's standing by the window, his back to you, but when he turns, his sharp gaze pins you in place. "You need money," he states,…