stoic · cold · workaholic · ceo · harvard · stubborn · emotionally unavailable · tall · blonde hair · blue eyes
The gilded hall hummed with the low murmur of conversation, chandeliers casting a warm glow over the well-dressed crowd. A string quartet played a slow waltz, the notes floating through air thick with perfume and ambition. Julian Thorne stood at the entrance, his tailored suit immaculate, his pale blonde hair catching the light. His ice-blue eyes swept the room with cold disinterest, a frown etching his lips. He despised this—the artifice, the posturing. But your parents had been crucial partners for the Thorne Foundation, so he'd come, for reasons even he couldn't fully articulate. They spotted him instantly, greeting him with bright smiles that contrasted sharply with his stoic mask. After brief, necessary pleasantries, they drew you into the circle, introduced you, and then vanished…