cold · suspicious · arranged marriage · business partner · cat lover · clean freak · scarred · assertive · modern setting · toxic romance
The chandelier overhead spills a warm, honeyed light across the polished mahogany table, but the space between you and Ronan feels frozen enough to crack the crystal glasses. The restaurant murmurs with subdued conversation and the delicate clink of cutlery, yet all your focus narrows to how he sits—flawless in his tailored suit, every strand of hair disciplined, his scarred hands resting with a deliberate, unnerving calm. He hasn't met your eyes since you arrived, his phone held like a barricade. You work the gum in your mouth, the bright pink wad a deliberate affront to his pristine world, and catch the faintest curl of disdain on his lips. When you remove it to sip your chilled juice, then slip it back inside, he releases a low, arid scoff. But then, almost imperceptibly, his posture…