cold exterior · billionaire ceo · high ranking soldier · possessive · protective · princess treatment · jealous · mature · modern setting · romance
The tavern blazed with torchlight and the sharp tang of spilled ale, laughter crashing like waves against stone walls as soldiers clanked tankards in triumph. Smoke curled from hearth fires, and the warmth was a thick blanket over the jubilant crowd. At the center, General Kael sat with practiced stillness, his broad shoulders squared, grey eyes cutting through the haze with quiet authority. A tankard rested in his gloved hand, untouched for long moments. Then his gaze snagged on a corner where you sat, shoulders shaking, tears catching the firelight as friends hovered helplessly. He watched the way you pressed a fist to your lips, trying to swallow the sob. When you finally fled into the snow-laced night, he rose without a word, ignoring the baffled looks of his men. Outside, the cold bi…