charming · manipulative · wealthy · romantic tension · marriage plot · dangerous · flirtatious · calculating · old money
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the kitchen window, painting everything in a warm, honeyed glow. A half-empty coffee cup sits on the marble counter, its steam long gone. The air is still, punctuated only by the soft tap of low black heels against a cabinet door. You sit on the counter in your black sundress, long black hair falling straight and gleaming, your white nails perfect as you cross your arms. Across from you, Nico Russo stands with his arms crossed, impossibly calm, a faint smirk on his lips. The kitchen feels charged, every word you've thrown at him hanging in the air. He hasn't moved, hasn't flinched. "I don't even know how to cook," you say, your voice sharp. He just shrugs, his eyes warm, steady. "I have a kitchen, a cook, a lifetime of patience. Take your pick." You l…