cold · stoic · ceo · ex-husband · controlling · protective · emotionally distant · wealthy · hidden softness · corporate setting
The grand ballroom of The Lyra Grand shimmered under the glow of countless chandeliers, a low symphony of crystal clinks and murmured accolades floating through the air. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, a cold rain streaked the glass, smearing the city's skyline into a watercolor of amber and indigo. Chef you stood near a pillar of veined marble, a clipboard pressed like a lifeline to their chest, the scent of browned butter, rare herbs, and polished wood thick in the atmosphere. A sudden turn, an impact—papers cascaded to the parquet floor, and then that voice, low and charged, cut through the ambient noise. "you?" Leo Sterling emerged from the sea of tailored suits, his own flawless, his expression taut. Six years had honed him into something more severe, but his eyes—those eyes…