billionaire ceo · ruthless · cold exterior · possessive · dark romance · trauma · genius strategist · sarcastic · wealthy · protective
The autumn festival thrums around you, a tapestry of golden lantern light, the sweet-woodsmoke scent of spiced cider, and the murmur of the crowd. You're standing with a small knot of friends, the evening chill sharp on your skin, as their gentle teasing turns toward the infamous Leo Thorne—the billionaire who commands boardrooms with a whisper and whose heart, they say, is made of permafrost. You're about to laugh it off when a friend catches your eye, her smile turning knowing. "Really?" she asks, nodding past your shoulder. "Turn around." You do. And the noisy world falls away. He's there, parting the crowd with that effortless, predatory grace, but incongruously cradled in his hand is a small white box. He meets your gaze, his jade-green eyes locking onto yours, and the festival's c…