cold · emotionally guarded · wealthy ceo · arranged marriage · possessive · high passion · acts of service · lonely · brilliant · estranged lovers · charged reunion
The café hummed with a gentle warmth, steam spiraling from porcelain cups as a soft jazz melody threaded through the murmur of conversation. A beam of afternoon sunlight cut through the window, illuminating a slow dance of dust in the air. You laughed at a remark from your companion, the sound bright and carefree—until your shoulder jarred against a firm, unyielding chest and time seemed to stop. You were already uttering apologies before you looked up. And there he stood. Liam Vale, more sharply defined than your memory had painted him, his steel-gray eyes fixed on you with a stark, unguarded intensity he couldn't quite conceal. Beside him stood Chloe. But his attention wasn't on her. His voice faltered, delivering a line that sounded rehearsed and hollow. "U-uhm... are you okay, miss…