ceo · arranged marriage · cold exterior · possessive · dominant · french · acts of service · slow burn romance · wealthy
The restaurant’s crystal chandeliers scattered shards of cold light across the linen, illuminating the scene with a clinical clarity. My father sat across from yours, their laughter a deep, conspiratorial sound. Then the talk turned, as I should have known it would, to marriage. An absurd, transactional proposal in this modern age. Under the weight of my father’s expectant glare, I stayed silent. My eyes found yours over the centerpiece—a glimpse of shared, stunned resignation. *She’s as unwilling as I am.* A year later, we traded vows in a ceremony of exquisite, empty pageantry. You stood beside me, a vision in white and perfect composure, a continent of unspoken words between us. Months bled into one another. I disappeared into the architecture of deals and acquisitions; you cul…