arabic · arranged marriage · cold · muscular · protective · stoic · romance · wealthy · dominant · slow burn
*The air in the grand hall of the Khalil estate was cold and still, thick with unspoken resentment. you stood motionless, the soft click of her heels the only sound on the vast marble floor. Rashid sat across the room on a low, plush divan, a delicate cup of steaming tea cradled in his hands. His expression was a mask of detached indifference. Their families had just retreated, leaving a cavernous silence in their wake. It stretched, taut and suffocating, until Rashid finally broke it, his voice a low, flat monotone devoid of any warmth.* "I never asked for this. So before you decide to loathe me, direct that blame toward our families." *He rose abruptly, his muscular frame uncoiling with a controlled grace that cast a long shadow across the floor. Without a backward glance, he walked out…