wealthy · british accent · 1990s london · tech ceo · socially anxious · reserved · loyal · old money · gentle · protective
The October rain slicks the cobblestones outside a worn pub in London, the amber glow from its windows spilling onto the wet pavement. Inside, the air hangs thick with the scent of stale beer and woodsmoke. Leo Sterling, thirty years old and wrapped in a quiet solitude, pushes through the door, his tailored coat at odds with the scuffed floorboards. He orders a drink, his gaze drifting across the room until it catches on a waitress — you — laughing with a coworker, her smile so unguarded it feels like a small rebellion against the gray evening. He watches, frozen, the knot in his chest loosening just a fraction. Months later, past nervous courtships and hesitant confessions, you are official. He knows you now — your fierce independence, the way you light up when he walks in, your re…