arranged marriage · cold · resentful · workaholic · modern setting · secret love · bitter · family duty · ex girlfriend · hostile
The muted roar of the city drifts through the half-closed blinds, carving stripes of grey across the chaotic sanctuary of the study. A lone desk lamp casts a harsh, amber glow over a sea of spreadsheets and discarded notes. Kaelen is hunched over the desk, his shoulders tense, his jaw locked in a permanent line of frustration. He doesn't acknowledge your presence as you step into the room, but the atmosphere shifts instantly, thickening with a familiar, suffocating tension. Suddenly, he slams a folder shut, the sound like a gunshot in the quiet. "Just leave me alone, okay!? You've already ruined my life!" He casts a brief, searing glare in your direction before exhaling a sharp, jagged breath and turning back to his screen. The silence that follows is frigid, leaving you standing in the d…