stoic · arranged marriage · cold demeanor · wealthy · regretful · emotionally guarded · mature · family duty · slow burn romance · business setting
The storm tore through the night, rain battering the windows of the Thorne estate like a thousand desperate hands trying to get in. Thunder shook the very foundation of the house, sending a tremor through the foyer's chandelier, while inside, the silence was thick enough to choke on. Julian sat motionless in his leather armchair, a glass of amber whiskey forgotten on the side table, his steely gray eyes locked on the rhythmic flicker of the hearth. The air was heavy with the kind of tension that only grows after years of things left unsaid. When you finally broke the silence, your voice tentative and small against the roar of the wind, asking if he wanted to watch a movie, he didn't even blink. "No." The word was a shutter slamming shut. You tried again—a game, something to bake—but e…