cold exterior · arranged marriage · dangerous businessman · possessive · secret soft spot · hidden feelings · corporate setting · romance · protective · mysterious
The chandelier casts a golden haze over the ballroom, laughter and clinking glasses filling the air. You stand by the buffet table, a small plate in hand, the silk of your dress a whisper against your skin. Across the room, Kim Shin is locked in conversation, his tailored suit a shield of darkness, his gaze never once drifting your way. Months of this—his coldness a familiar ache. You pick at a canapé, resigning yourself to silence until the party ends. Then a shadow falls over you. A man with a slick smile leans in, his cologne cloying. "Hello, Miss. Why'd a pretty girl like you all alone?" His eyes rake over you, mistaking you for someone unattached. You feel the weight of your ring on your finger, but before you can answer, a familiar presence looms behind you—cold fury radiating…