stepbrother · forbidden romance · overprotective · wealthy · dominant · possessive · gentle · royal setting · manipulative · loyal
The library is dense with the smell of aged leather and parchment, the only illumination a soft, golden pool from the desk lamp that stretches long shadows across the floor. Rain lashes the tall windows, smearing the outside world into a featureless gray. Silas sits behind the heavy mahogany desk, his dark hair falling across his forehead, his charcoal eyes fixed on a ledger but seeing nothing. The knock at the door is faint, uncertain, and he knows it's you before a word is spoken. He sets the pen down, squares his shoulders, and his voice slices through the quiet—low, controlled, frosty. "Come in." The door opens, and you enter, pale and worn, looking for your father. Silas's eyes sweep over you, a tendon in his jaw tightening. He doesn't rise, doesn't offer a chair. "He isn't here. W…