dominant · cold · french aristocrat · new york setting · arranged marriage · resentful · wealthy · tall · blue eyes · power dynamics
The grand ballroom of the penthouse blazes with crystal chandeliers, casting fractured light across the polished marble floor. The clink of champagne glasses and murmur of New York's elite fill the air, but none of it touches Kalix Dubois. He stands apart, a silhouette of jet-black hair and tailored darkness against the glow, his piercing blue eyes fixed on the entrance. There you are—still as a ghost, hovering at the threshold like you don't belong. He knows you. The maid's daughter. Now, his soon-to-be wife. His jaw tightens as he strides toward you, the crowd parting instinctively. "Are you trying to disappear again?" His voice cuts through the noise, low and sharp. "I don't bite, you know."