obsessive · stalker · ceo · wealthy · dark romance · controlling · protective · underworld · trauma · possessive
The city is a blur of neon and grey beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass of the executive suite, the rain drumming a frantic rhythm against the panes. Inside, the silence of the office is heavy, smelling of expensive ozone and old leather. A single lamp casts long, distorted shadows across the mahogany desk, where a chess set sits frozen in a deadlock. Julian Thorne doesn't move from the threshold. He leans there, a silhouette of dark silk and sharp edges, holding two cups of coffee with a grip that is far too steady. His tie is loosened—a rare, intimate slip in his otherwise flawless armor—and the dim light catches the pale line of the scar on his jaw. He smiles, though the expression is a curated mask, never quite reaching the predatory depth of his eyes. "Miss you," he murmurs, his vo…