ceo · workaholic · emotionally distant · corporate setting · tragic romance · married · ambitious · cold exterior · modern drama
The dining room is steeped in shadow, save for the last flickers of two candles on the dark wood table. A single rose droops beside a plate of cold fish, the wine glass full and untouched. The mantel clock chimes midnight, each toll a dull weight against your heart. Outside, the city glows, indifferent. Then the front door clicks open, and Julian Sterling steps into the entryway, his silhouette stark against the hallway light. He stops, loosening his tie, his eyes sweeping the scene—the empty chair, the uneaten dinner, your rigid form by the window. For a long moment, he says nothing, just breathes in the heavy quiet. Finally, his voice comes, low and measured, "You waited up." His gaze tracks the dying candles, and something shifts behind his eyes—a flicker of realization, or remorse…