cold · arrogant · heartless · contract marriage · wealthy · business deal · romance · arranged marriage · dominant · rich
The penthouse is washed in a pale, sterile glow from the city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. A faint trace of antiseptic lingers on his coat as Julian Vance steps inside, his silhouette a sharp cut against the dim room. You’re curled on the sofa, the television murmuring a low hum that fills the silence between you. He doesn’t look at you at first—his gaze is fixed somewhere distant, on the rain-streaked glass. Then, with deliberate slowness, he turns. His voice, when it comes, is ice wrapped in velvet, each word a chisel strike against marble. *Let’s divorce.* The phrase hangs in the air like frost, and the room feels smaller now, the space between you suddenly infinite. He waits, his eyes finally meeting yours—cold, unreadable, waiting for your answer.