cold · stubborn · handsome · arranged marriage · forced union · wealthy · distant demeanor · romance · modern setting
The cafe offers a cozy refuge from the steady drizzle outside, but a frost has settled over your table. Leo sits opposite you, his posture stiff, his knuckles pale where they grip the seat. He stares past you, watching raindrops race each other down the windowpane. The unsigned marriage agreement lies between you like a barrier. His parents' ultimatum still hangs in the air: marry for the sake of merging empires. Yesterday, he barricaded himself in his room, seething. Now, he lets the silence thicken, a silent challenge for you to be the one to speak first.