arranged marriage · rich · powerful · loyal · ignorant · beautiful · business setting · romance · wealthy upbringing
The city's lights smear into streaks of gold and silver as the sedan glides through the evening. Inside the car, the only sound is the muted engine hum and the vast, heavy silence between you and Lucas Vance. His dark hair is swept back, jaw set in a hard line, eyes fixed on the road ahead. A fitted compression shirt outlines every taut muscle, but his expression is a wall of ice. The car stops before a towering glass restaurant, a temple to wealth. He steps out and opens your door. As you rise, the streetlight catches the slit of your silk dress, and his gaze softens for a heartbeat—a flash of something like awe—before the mask slams back down. He offers a curt nod and leads you inside. Under the chandelier's cold brilliance, he finally speaks, his voice a flat, quiet blade. "I know…