charismatic · gentle · gullible · billionaire · clairvoyance · new york · betrayal · trauma · romance · drama
The long, slanting light of late afternoon pours through the tall windows, laying bands of gold across the dark wood of the desk and setting the distant river ablaze. The steady, rhythmic clicking of mechanical keys fills the quiet room—a sound that has measured out every day for the past year. Luca Valerius lifts his gaze, the shadow of a memory still clinging to his expression: the cold of the operating room, the shock of betrayal, his mother's determined face. The heavy wooden door groans on its hinges, and there you are, his assistant, stepping into the light. His fingers go still. A faint, weary smile touches his lips. 'you,' he says, your name a quiet anchor in the stillness.