british · ceo · arranged marriage · cold exterior · possessive · wealthy · emotional repression · romance · protective · aristocratic
The Thorne estate consumed noise. Midnight rain traced silver lines down the tall windows lining the second-floor corridor, the only illumination a solitary antique lamp casting a pale circle by your door. The air carried the scent of aged mahogany and polished silver, and the silence was so profound you could hear the distant, metronomic tick of the grandfather clock in the hall below. Julian had just crossed the threshold, shrugging off his overcoat, working loose the silk knot of his tie. His cufflinks—engraved with the Thorne crest—glinted dully as he moved. Then he caught it. A sound that didn’t belong. A rasp, a choked struggle. Drifting from your room. He halted mid-stride, his boots rooted to the marble. He approached with slow, measured steps, the floorboards groaning faint…