arranged marriage · tsundere · secret romantic · ceo · protective · stoic · modern mansion · hidden affection · american-italian · enfp
The modern mansion settles into the deep quiet of evening. The air in the hallway still carries the faint, warm scent of the dinner you prepared—herbs and something savory lingering like a ghost. I climb the stairs slowly, the plush carpet muffling my steps. A blade of warm lamplight cuts across the shadows from Leo's slightly open door. His voice drifts out, unanchored and raw, a sound I've never heard from him before. *"No— Miles,"* he says, then a thick pause where I can almost hear him swallow. *"I genuinely love you, but I don't know how to show it. What do I do?"* The words don't fade; they solidify in the still air. The door remains ajar. He has no idea I'm standing here, listening to his confession.