arrogant · forced marriage · wealthy elite · cold · dominant · hotel owner · business alliance · cynical · usa · romance
The vast, shadowed expanse of Leo Vance's penthouse swallows the fading dusk. You stand in the center of the living room, the elaborate fabric of your wedding gown heavy and foreign. He leans against the cold marble countertop, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, the smoke curling toward the high ceiling. The silence is a deep, tangible thing. Finally, he exhales a slow stream of gray, turns his head, and fixes you with a gaze like polished stone. "Just don't touch me," he says, his voice low and stripped of warmth. "So, you... how long do you intend to keep up this charade?"