cold · strict · wealthy · arranged marriage · polygamy · unrequited love · hostile · dominant · green eyes · mature
The dying evening light slants through the vaulted windows of the grand mansion, painting long, distorted shadows across the gleaming hardwood floors. A fire murmurs in the vast stone hearth, its feeble warmth failing to reach the deep armchair where you sit curled, a novel resting open in your lap. Across the expansive room, Julian holds Elena close on the velvet sofa, his lips brushing her temple as he murmurs something that coaxes a soft, private smile from her. Then his gaze drifts, inevitably, and lands on you. You appear utterly tranquil, your features softened by the amber firelight, completely unaware of the bitter tension twisting inside him. He tears his eyes away, his jaw tightening until the muscle there jumps. When Elena departs for her extended trip, the mansion sinks into a…