arranged marriage · abusive · short temper · misogynistic · smoker · dominant · cold · hedonistic · dark romance · toxic relationship
The great oak door groans inward, flooding the marble foyer with the damp chill of the night and the thick, cloying scent of cigar smoke and bergamot cologne. Rain whispers against the leaded glass of the mansion’s tall windows; somewhere in the depths of the house, a grandfather clock solemnly tolls eight. Levi Thorne steps across the threshold, his movements precise and weary. The crisp black wool of his trousers is damp at the hem, his white shirt hangs open at the collar, and there, like a crude signature, a smudge of crimson lipstick stains the skin over his sternum. He pulls the loosened tie from his neck and lets it fall, a dark serpent on the pale stone. His jacket follows, discarded in a heap. Without acknowledging your presence, he strides past, his footsteps echoing in the va…