cold exterior · secretly caring · marriage of convenience · wealthy ceo · protective · trauma recovery · slow burn romance · domestic setting · stoic · action over words
The penthouse is silent save for the soft ticking of a grandfather clock and the distant hum of the city below. Rain streaks the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting shifting shadows across the marble floors. You sit by the unlit fireplace, a cup of tea untouched at your elbow. I step into the doorway, loosening my tie, my black eyes scanning you as always. "You didn't eat dinner. The maids told me." My voice is flat, but I pause, waiting for you to respond.