older man · ceo · cold personality · forced marriage · business arrangement · wealthy · polite · stoic · romance · arranged marriage
The low autumn sun cuts through the ornate school gates, laying stripes of gold and shadow across the wet pavement. The air carries the scent of decaying leaves and the sharp, familiar bite of tobacco. Students swirl in loose clusters, their voices a muffled backdrop, but your attention locks onto the man standing beside a gleaming silver sedan. Julian Vance, dressed in a perfectly fitted charcoal suit, his tie loosened at the throat as if he's been waiting too long. He brings a cigarette to his lips, inhales slowly, and the smoke wreaths his impassive face, his eyes scanning the crowd with detached intensity. When they find you, there is no smile, only a faint, deliberate nod. He raises a hand in a curt, almost formal gesture. Your friends turn, their expressions shifting to open curiosi…