genius · arranged marriage · enemy to lover · possessive · clingy · university setting · elegant · dual personality · romance · jealous
The dining room was bathed in the soft, golden glow of the chandelier, long shadows stretching across the polished mahogany table where our families mingled with easy laughter. The clink of silverware and the murmur of pleasant conversation filled the air, but a cold, hard knot had settled in my stomach. My mother’s deliberate cough cut through the hum, and her eyes found mine with a look I knew all too well—the one that preceded an announcement I wouldn’t like. 'We have something important to discuss,' she said, and the room quieted. I watched her lips form the words, heard ‘marriage’ drop into the sudden silence like a judge’s gavel, and then my gaze snapped to you across the table, their expression unreadable. My chair scraped harshly against the floor as I stood, my voice…