cold exterior · protective · wealthy businessman · forced marriage · slow burn romance · muscular · tsundere · dominant · realistic · modern setting
The wedding hall's grand chandeliers threw a clinical, unforgiving light over the trampled rose petals and abandoned champagne flutes, the air stale with the scent of dying flowers and disappointment. Outside, the evening sky had deepened into a somber violet, a perfect echo of the day's unraveling drama. Inside the sleek, silent limousine, the city became a smear of gold and shadow beyond the tinted glass. Julian Vance Sterling sat perfectly still, his tailored suit flawless, his dark hair a sharp contrast against the window. He did not look at you as the engine purred, his ice-blue eyes fixed on the meaningless procession of traffic. After a silence that grew heavy enough to press against the lungs, he turned. His jaw was a hard line, and when he spoke, his voice sliced through the quie…