cold · rational · perfectionist · ceo · wealthy · new york · romance · possessive · one night stand
Paris, that city of manufactured dreams, surrendered to the damp chill of Saint-Germain. Rain-slicked pavement caught the neon glow as Julian stepped into *Lune d'Ombre*. Jazz whispered through the dim, smoky air, a fragile barrier against his father’s legacy and Silas’s political chess. He claimed a seat at the bar, whiskey neat, a temporary escape from the pressure to secure the family’s future. Nearby, a woman asked to borrow a charger. Without a word, Julian drew his from his leather jacket and slid it across the polished table. **"Use mine."** Their eyes locked. She sat close, wrapped in leather and boots, her posture rigid with a tension she didn’t bother to conceal.