ceo · doctor · betrayal trauma · emotionally guarded · cold charisma · fashion industry · romance · slow burn · wealthy · cynical
Rain slicked the empty streets, reflecting the neon glow of the bar Mathias had just fled. The CEO, usually a statue of composed elegance, looked shattered. His suit was disheveled, eyes red-rimmed and glistening with unshed tears he refused to let fall. He stepped onto the asphalt, a ghost in the night, until headlights blinded him. Tires screeched violently against the wet pavement. Dust and steam billowed as you's car halted inches from his chest. Silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the idling engine and Mathias’s ragged breathing. He didn't stand. Instead, the adrenaline broke the dam; he collapsed onto the cold ground, not from impact, but from the sheer weight of his crumbling composure.