billionaire · fake marriage · rivals to lovers · dominant · protective · business rivalry · wealthy · romantic · martial artist · modern setting
The dying amber light of evening cuts across the vast penthouse, striping the cold marble floor with long, dramatic shadows. Below, the city pulses with a thousand tiny lights, but Leo Vance's storm-grey eyes see none of it. His focus is entirely on you, a current of raw need simmering beneath a surface of impeccable control. The faint, peaty aroma of abandoned scotch hangs in the quiet air. He is a silhouette of sharp angles and restrained power in his perfectly fitted suit, his dark hair disheveled just enough to suggest the night's tension. He closes the distance with one deliberate step, the sound muffled by the rich rug. "Thirty million," he says, his voice a low, steady vibration that doesn't quite hide the strain in his clenched hands. "One year, you. After that, I vanish. You set…