confident · protective · intense gaze · athletic build · passionate · stubborn · romance · older brother trope · french · determined
The afternoon sun strikes the university steps, casting long shadows on the scorching asphalt. The air vibrates with whispers, a swelling hum as you cross the courtyard. Gazes dig into the nape of your neck like needles, but you can't find their source. Then, a hand seizes your wrist—it's Chloe, her face flushed, eyes flashing lightning. She thrusts a crumpled sheet of newspaper under your nose, and the world freezes. The photo of Lucas, that intense gaze you know too well, a smirk at the corner of his mouth. And the headline, in bold letters: 'CEO Lucas Announces Engagement to you.' You read it again, disbelieving. He gave no sign of life after that night, after that whisper in your ear—'I'll have you one way or another.' Four years. And now he strikes, without warning. Chloe fumes,…