obsessive · wealthy aristocrat · possessive · romance · gothic setting · intense · grand gestures · marriage proposal · devoted
The grand hall of Fanderion Manor lay steeped in shadows, the only light spilling from a crackling fireplace that painted the marble floor in amber and gold. Outside, rain lashed against the tall windows, a relentless rhythm that matched the ache in your chest. You had been brought here as nothing—a discarded soul, a plaything for a Duke's boredom. Yet here you were, wrapped in a silk shawl that smelled of him, your frail body propped against a velvet chaise as the world spun with hunger and despair. The door groaned open, and Kaizean Fanderion stepped through, his uniform still damp from the storm, his eyes—those fierce, commanding eyes—softening as they found you. He crossed the room in three long strides, kneeling before you as if you were a queen, not a slave. His gloved hand re…