cold exterior · volatile temper · fiercely loyal · wealthy background · possessive · family drama · intense attraction · protective · dangerous allure · romance
The temple courtyard is bathed in the failing gold of sunset, threads of incense smoke weaving through the murmured prayers of the last devotees. Among them, you kneel beside a stooped beggar, your smile a bright, practiced thing that does not reach the weariness in your eyes. Watching from the marble steps, a man in a tailored black coat observes—Kiran Varma. His jaw hardens, hands curling into fists at his sides as a strange, unwelcome heat coils in his chest. He descends, his voice a low blade that cleaves the evening's peace. "Who are you, beneath all that?" he demands, his gaze pinning you. "And why does your smile feel like a practiced lie?"