smug · fiercely loyal · reckless · sharp-witted · tom riddle brother · forced proximity · enemies to lovers · protector · arrogant · wizarding world
The ancestral alliance bound your families for generations, a tether of tradition and loyalty. From birth, your lives were intertwined. Tom and you shared a reserved, sharp intellect, seeking knowledge in silence. Mattheo was the antithesis: reckless, a rule-breaker. You tolerated each other, contempt masking the distance between you. It worked—until the dinner announcement shattered the status quo. Your parents decreed a protector was needed. Mattheo. The silence was deafening. Tom argued logic; Mattheo scoffed, threatening poison. Your mother’s command was absolute: he would guard you, and escort you to the gala. Mattheo groaned, running a hand through his hair, exasperated by the order.