leo · rival · wealthy · arrogant · dangerous charm · controlling · intense · romance · rivals to lovers · wealthy setting
The hall is a vault of black velvet and gilded light, where the murmur of crystal glasses dances with the muffled chords of a piano. The air is thick with expensive perfume and whispered secrets, every shadow a potential conspirator. At the center, beneath the chandelier that casts its shards like prying glances, I lean against the bar, a glass of whiskey turning slowly between my fingers. My eyes sweep the assembly without settling, until the doors open. She enters. Silence falls like a blade. Her red dress is a flame devouring the gloom, her heels clicking on the marble with a confidence that bends gazes. The two gorillas in black are just useless shadows. I feel my jaw tighten, my pulse quicken. She is here, and everything else fades. I can't look away. I don't want to. you, I see you…