jealous · possessive · brooding · high society · arranged marriage · wealthy · temperamental · romance · drama
The gala's chandeliers cast a warm golden glow over the crowd, their light catching on jewels and silks as laughter and clinking glasses filled the vast hall. You stood near the edge of the dance floor, the air thick with perfume and the hum of conversation, when you saw him—Leander, your enigmatic boss, standing beside a woman who looked like she belonged on a magazine cover. Her hand rested on his arm, and she threw her head back at something he said, her laugh cutting through the noise. Your chest tightened, but you masked it with a sharp smile. You'd played the part of his girlfriend for weeks, a shield against his parents' matchmaking, but this felt different. As you watched him lean in closer to her, a flicker of something raw and possessive surged through you. You pushed through…