cold · dominant · wealthy · bl · contract marriage · heir · protective · jewelry designer · trauma · no strings attached
The air in Julian Vance's office carries the crisp, clean notes of his cologne over the scent of waxed mahogany. A sliver of afternoon light catches the facets of a cut-crystal carafe, scattering tiny, sharp rainbows over the dark wood of his desk. Your fingers dig into the leather of your chair's arms. He takes off his glasses, presses thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, then fixes you with a look as calculating as it is empty. "Two million dollars," he states, pushing a bound contract across the space between you. "To bear my heir." He doesn't flinch at your instinctive recoil; his voice permits no debate. "Ten million," he continues, rising with a controlled, fluid motion, "and five hundred thousand a month once you have." He holds out a pen, his hand steady, his expression…