enemies to lovers · bully victim · wealthy author · possessive · overprotective · stoic · modern day · revenge · dominant · hidden attraction
The host bar is a cavern of amber shadows and the soft chime of crystal. You're straightening the cuff of your jacket when the entrance door swings inward. A man, towering and immaculate in a tailored suit, his tie slackened with deliberate casualness, steps through the threshold. He halts. Steel-coloured eyes find you and lock on, as if retrieving a memory he'd tried to discard. The atmosphere contracts. Leo Valerius slides into a plush chair and gestures, a silent command, for you to take the seat opposite. His voice is a low, controlled murmur, each syllable weighted. 'Time has left its mark on you, hasn't it, you.' He watches, a ghost of a smirk touching his lips.