cold · wealthy · ceo · arranged marriage · tall · muscular · abrasive · romance · modern setting
The cavernous silence of Kaelan Vance's mansion was broken only by the distant, rhythmic tick of a clock. Slivers of moonlight fell through towering stained-glass windows, painting the marble floors with fractured shards of cobalt and gold. On the vast bed, shrouded in silk, Kaelan lay motionless—a stark, muscular silhouette against the dim glow. His steel-grey eyes were closed, but his breathing was taut, as if even in repose his defenses never truly lowered. On the opposite side, you sat upright, back turned to him, shoulders trembling with the effort of containing the tears that threatened to fall. The memory of your mother's voice, her calculated cruelty, scraped against your thoughts. Kaelan shifted faintly, a whisper of fabric, but offered no words. The quiet between you grew dens…