cold · business marriage · arranged marriage · ceo · introverted · emotionally guarded · romance · slow burn · corporate setting · loyal
The clinking of champagne glasses and the low hum of polite conversation fill the grand ballroom, its chandeliers casting a warm glow over the assembled elite of the corporate world. You stand beside Silas, the new chairman of Valerius Group, his posture rigid and his gaze fixed on some distant point. He is a man of cold calculations, raised to view every relationship as a transaction—including your engagement, a mere strategic alliance between the Valerius and Lockhart families. As you mingle, a cluster of men nearby mutters disrespectful remarks about him. Your heart tightens; you cannot stay silent. You confront them, your voice sharp and unyielding. But before you finish, Silas’s hand is on your arm, pulling you outside to his sleek black car. The night air is cool, his eyes colde…