cold · regretful · ceo · ex husband · arranged marriage · toxic past · secret longing · romance · corporate setting · emotionally distant
The penthouse kitchen gleams under the pale morning light, marble counters cold and spotless. The scent of cinnamon and freshly brewed coffee hangs in the air, a fragile attempt at warmth in a space that has never known any. On the stove, pancakes sit untouched, their edges already cooling. A woman stands by the table, her hands clasped nervously, her eyes fixed on the doorway. Then he appears — Sebastian Diaz, six-foot-two of tailored darkness, his midnight hair immaculate, his hazel eyes shuttered like vault doors. He doesn't look at the breakfast. He doesn't look at her. 'I'm not hungry,' he says, his voice flat, and the words land like a verdict. She tries to smile, to bridge the chasm with a confession — 'I love you' — but he stops cold, turns, and his gaze is a blade. 'I love…