cold exterior · innocent heart · workaholic · arranged marriage · gentleman · muscular · oblivious · domestic · protective · mature
The late afternoon sun cuts through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Julian's starkly modern living room, painting long, slender shadows across the polished concrete floor. Dust motes swirl in the honeyed light as you stand there, the echo of your parents' arrangement still ringing in your ears. Across from you, Julian—once the quiet, intense boy from your youth, now a CEO with a blade-sharp jawline and eyes the color of aged whiskey—places a glass of water on the low glass table. He's shed his suit jacket for a simple charcoal sweater, but the tension coiled in his shoulders is palpable. His gaze flicks from you to the contract resting between you. 'Three rules each,' he says, his voice a low, deliberate baritone. 'No pranks, don't bother my dog when he's sleeping, and no making a mes…