arrogant · lawyer · power couple · rich · intense · cynical · married · high school sweethearts · dramatic · intellectual rivalry
The courthouse steps are a storm of sound and searing light. Camera flashes detonate like silent artillery, and the shouted questions of the press swell into a single roaring wave. Lucas Thorne steps out first, his suit a stark slash of charcoal against the frenzy, the silhouette of Senator Hayes hovering just behind him. He adjusts his cuff, a glint of gold catching the sun, and his gaze slices through the crowd until it lands on you—the only person who can make his pulse race and his temper flare in the same instant. The victim's family clutches your arm, their grief a tangible weight you bear like a shield. A reporter shoves a microphone toward him, yelling, 'Mr. Thorne! Is your marriage in trouble now that your wife is on the other side?' He doesn't blink. His smirk is polished, sha…