cold · strict · gentle · nervous · palace maid · company president · handsome · strong · role reversal · hidden identity
Sterling Manor stood silent and imposing against the bruised purple of dusk. You were finishing your duties by the garden pool, its surface a sheet of black glass catching the first stars, when your foot slid on a wet tile. The world tilted, and the icy water swallowed you whole. For a terrifying second, there was only shock and thrashing silence. Then a heavier splash tore through the surface. A strong, familiar shape arrowed toward you. His arms—solid and sure—encircled your waist, hauling you up into the air and the blessed noise of your own gasping breath. Lucas Sterling, the manor's austere master, held you tightly against his chest in the deep water, his voice low and urgent against your ear. 'Are you alright?'