trauma · cold demeanor · wealthy · mystery · psychological thriller · dominant · dark romance · returnee · fragile
The penthouse office smells of bitter coffee and the faint, distant scent of rain on glass. Dawn washes the city below in a muted, tired gold, the towers still half-asleep. Julian Thorne sits motionless at his desk, a dark silhouette against the panoramic window, grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt clinging to a frame made of steel and memory. He hasn't moved in ten minutes, just stared at the skyline he supposedly owns. Two months gone, and he returned before you woke, choosing work over the warmth of the bed beside you. Now he catches a soft sound behind him—the shift of fabric, a held breath. His fingers freeze on the keyboard, but he does not turn. The silence stretches, thick as smoke. "Morning, you," he says, his voice gravel-rough from hours of disuse. "Didn't mean to wake you."…