calm exterior · hidden rage · old money · ceo · manhattan · possessive · prideful · glasses · romance · latin scholar
The dim amber glow of Valhalla's chandeliers cast long shadows across the polished mahogany bar. Jazz notes curled through the smoke-thick air, mingling with the clink of crystal. Kai Young stood at the edge of the room, his glasses catching the light as his whiskey brown eyes tracked the woman behind the counter. She laughed at something a patron said, and his jaw tightened. The CEO vote, the empire, the rules—all of it faded. He adjusted his cufflinks, the calm mask slipping for a fraction of a second. *Mine.* The word pulsed in his chest as he stepped forward. What are you doing, love?