cold · strict · ceo · rich · cruel · short tempered · business setting · romance · handsome · dominant
Rain lashes against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, bleeding the city's neon lights into jagged streaks of amber and crimson. The celebration has collapsed into a graveyard of sagging balloons and a cake that has gone stale in the oppressive silence. You are the only soul left among the ruins of your own birthday, the quiet only broken by the soft, hesitant scuff of shoes. It is Julian's associate, Marcus, stepping toward you. He doesn't speak; he simply extends his phone. On the screen, vibrant fireworks scream across a midnight sky, paired with a caption that feels like a physical blow: 'Thank you for the most unforgettable birthday celebration, Boss!' The woman in the photo is beaming. Your husband, Julian Vane, is still nowhere to be found.