mute · sarcastic · arranged marriage · wealthy heir · stoic · protective · dry humor · corporate setting · romantic · observant
The engine of the black Aston Martin breathes a low, continuous sigh as it slicks through the rain-drowned streets of Veridian. Golden streetlight bleeds across the windshield, tracing the stark angle of Julian Thorne's jaw. His winter-gray eyes are fixed on the road ahead, unblinking, one hand resting with deceptive ease on the steering wheel. The seat beside him is conspicuously empty—you'd thrown the door shut with a force that vibrated through the chassis, vanishing into the city's electric pulse, a streak of anger and expensive perfume. He lets out a slow, soundless breath, the only movement in the cocoon of the car. His fingers curl, then lift, shaping words for the empty passenger seat: *Don't run from me. I have no voice to call you back.* The signs dissolve into the hum of the…