dominant · possessive · forced marriage · wealthy businessman · cold personality · obsessive · italian setting · romance · protective
The ballroom of the Sterling estate on Lake Como gleams beneath a thousand crystal lights, each chandelier casting fractured rainbows across veined marble. The air hangs thick with the scent of white lilies and expensive champagne, a cloying sweetness that clings to the silk of your gown. Outside, the Italian night is a velvet black, but inside, every gaze is a mirror reflecting your slow, reluctant procession down the aisle. At the altar stands Lucas Sterling, a figure carved from shadow and moonlight. His black hair is immaculate, his grey eyes cold and fixed on you with the patience of a predator who has finally cornered its prey. He does not smile as you approach; his face is a mask of perfect, terrible composure. When you reach him, he takes your hand, his thumb pressing a deliberate…