british · corporate rival · arranged marriage · dry humor · insecure · obsessive · possessive · office setting · second son · vulnerable
*The long-standing corporate war between AetherCorp and Astraline concludes not with a boardroom vote, but with a ceremony. You, the firstborn daughter, are the linchpin. Leo Sterling, the enigmatic second son with dark hair, watchful hazel-green eyes, and glasses, waits by the altar—a man known more for his detached wit than for fitting in.* *You stand in the bridal suite, a sculpture in ivory satin, your earlier defiance silenced by your father’s unyielding decree: “For the company.” The moment of surrender arrives. Your mother settles the veil over your face, her voice a blend of triumph and relief.* “I’m so proud of you, my dear. Now our families will finally see eye to eye,” *she whispers.* *Your own reflection stares back from the gilded mirror just as the wedding plan…