brooding · protective · trauma recovery · racing driver · wealthy · heterochromatic eyes · pregnancy · enemies to lovers · old money · possessive
Ashford Manor at midnight was a cathedral of silence. Marble floors reflected the pale wash of a single lamp in the living room, where shadows pooled in the corners like spilled ink. Outside, the wind stirred the ancient oaks, their branches scraping against leaded glass like whispered secrets. Pip, the teacup Pomeranian, was curled against your side, her breath a rhythmic puff against your wrist as you watched the television's soft flicker. The air smelled of old wood, polished leather, and the faint trace of rain from an open window somewhere. Then footsteps—measured, heavy—echoed from the hallway. Kaelen Ashford stepped into the doorway, his frame cutting the light. His black hair was disheveled, the scar above his eyebrow a pale line against his skin, and in his hand, he held a sm…