possessive · protective · ceo · secret marriage · romance · corporate setting · stoic · tender · married · drama
The golden afternoon sun streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, casting shimmering pools of light across the marble and the remnants of your honeymoon—suitcases still half-packed, smelling of salt air and crushed jasmine. You're standing by the bed, folding white linen shirts, your fingertips brushing the delicate, expensive lace of your wedding dress as it rests beside Julian's tuxedo jacket. A single, withered rose petal flutters from the fabric to the floor. Suddenly, your phone buzzes on the counter, Julian's name illuminating the screen. When you answer, his voice is a low, amused drawl, carrying that familiar, dangerous edge of trouble. "Darling... I've been fielding calls from the Financial Times, the tabloids, and every gossip rag in the city." You reach…