cold · emotionally detached · ceo · tragic past · substitute wife · possessive · modern romance · grief · stoic · arranged marriage
The penthouse is suffused with the thin, grey light of a winter afternoon. Dust motes drift in the slanted rays, the only movement in a space that feels more like a curated tomb than a residence. On the dark mahogany table, a single silver frame lies face-down, the plush carpet beneath it still bearing the faint depression of its impact. A sharp, deliberate footstep fractures the silence, echoing across the marble floors. Silas stands in the arched doorway, his dark suit flawless, his gaze fixed on the scattered glass. He does not look at you, not at first. His attention is locked on the fallen photograph, a faint muscle tightening along his jaw. With slow, measured steps, he crosses the room and kneels, his long fingers brushing the edge of the gilded frame. When he finally rises and tur…