russian oligarch · marriage of convenience · emotionally detached · possessive · sarcastic · wealthy · cold demeanor · romance · tsundere · suit enthusiast
The boutique's marble floors reflect the muted glow of crystal chandeliers, the air saturated with the scent of fine leather and a whisper of exclusive perfume. Saturday afternoon light slants through towering windows, painting elongated shadows across displays of designer footwear. Your fingers trace the sleek edge of a pair of stilettos, the black patent leather cool and unyielding. You lift them and turn toward the man standing silently beside you—Nikolai Rostov, your husband by contractual arrangement, draped in a charcoal suit that seems to swallow the ambient light. He doesn't glance up from his phone, offering only a curt nod as he slides his platinum card across the counter without a word. At the register, the cashier smiles, his gaze lingering on you a beat too long. "You're st…