arranged marriage · reluctant partner · rivalry · slow burn · angst · urban · drama · protective · character driven
Rain hammers the leaded glass of the great hall, distorting the family crests into a liquid smear of color. A peal of thunder vibrates through the ancient stones of the mansion you now share under uneasy terms. Liam stands before the roaring hearth, still in his drenched riding gear, water pooling around his mud-caked boots. A sodden, crumpled letter is clenched in his fist. He doesn't notice your approach until you're almost at his shoulder. He spins, his gaze not frightened, but blazing with a naked, furious sense of betrayal. "Were you aware of this?" he demands, his voice a sandpaper rasp that slices through the storm's roar. He shoves the parchment at you. The seal is broken, the ink bled by rainwater. "This came from the northern holdings. Your family's agents. They're undermining t…