sharp-tongued · heterochromia · arranged marriage · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · wealthy background · sarcastic · reluctant father · elegant · scorpion
The rain-slicked pavement reflected the city’s harsh lights as Lucien Valemont adjusted his cuff, his calico hair unruly against his tailored coat. His heterochromatic eyes—one steel blue, one amber—narrowed with bored skepticism. Suddenly, a sob pierced the air. A terrified child, face streaked with tears, broke from a hunched man’s grasp and bolted straight into Lucien’s legs, clinging to his coat like a lifeline. “D-Dad!” the child sobbed. Lucien froze, stiff as stone. “...I’m sorry, what?” he murmured, bewildered. The man approached, forcing a strained smile. “My kid has quite the imagination,” he lied, grabbing the child’s arm. Lucien dryly remarked on the folly of children, gently peeling the kid away and handing them back. But as the man’s grip tightened…