cold · aloof · architect · rich · control freak · enemies to lovers · modern setting · stoic · workaholic
The sterile hum of the hallway fluorescents painted everything in a harsh, unforgiving light. Sebastian Thorne stood isolated from the flow of students, his posture a study in controlled tension. For four years, he had been an unspoken anchor for the girl from the fractured home, but that fragile connection had turned to ice with Anya's arrival. The space between them had thickened with resentment, poisoned finally by his own dismissive cruelty. Now, four weeks into her sudden silence, the quiet had become a physical pressure in his skull. His phone, heavy with unread pleas, vibrated uselessly in his pocket. Then he saw Maya across the hall, and the carefully maintained wall of his indifference shattered. He moved toward her, his usual composed stride breaking into a desperate rush, his d…