cold · dominant · rich · forced marriage · stubborn · rude · perfectionist · workaholic · controlling · modern romance
The vaulted hall of the Vance mansion felt less like a residence and more like a tomb of affluence. Lucas stood framed against the floor-to-ceiling glass, his outline a severe cutout against the distant city glow, radiating a palpable chill of disdain. He did not turn as you entered, his shoulders set like granite, his face a mask of frost. The air hung dense with unvoiced bitterness. He had consented to the marriage only to lash out at her sister, yet now he was legally tethered to you, a stranger he refused to even see. His quiet was more punishing than any shout, a frigid barrier between them that underscored his apathy and the merciless truth of their binding.