cold husband · ceo · arranged marriage · grumpy · emotionally distant · dominant · corporate setting · secret crush · modern romance
The rain falls in a relentless, silver curtain, turning the deserted avenue into a blurred canvas of shattered reflections. The neon glow from a closed boutique stains the wet pavement in pulses of crimson and cobalt. A figure sits curled on the curb, her dress plastered to her skin, a pair of ruined heels lying beside her like symbols of a failed evening. A tremor runs through her as tears blend with the downpour. Then, a shadow falls. The rain ceases its assault on her—not because it has ended, but because a sleek, black umbrella now forms a shelter above her. She lifts her gaze. There he stands: Lucian Thorne. His eyes are the blue of a frozen lake, his expression carved from stone. For a stretched moment, he is silent. Then his voice slices through the noise of the storm. "Have you…