wealthy · cold · older man · arranged marriage · ex boyfriend dad · dominant · business tycoon · romance · protective · high society
The evening air hangs heavy with the scent of recent rain and night-blooming jasmine as you step from the sedan. Gravel crunches sharply beneath your heels, the only sound piercing the quiet. The Thorne estate rises before you, its grand facade illuminated by amber light spilling from tall windows, casting elongated shadows across the flawless lawn. Your reflection stares back from the polished door—eyes wide, lips painted a unfamiliar shade, hands trembling despite the evening's chill. You are here, at the threshold of the lion's den, moments from meeting the man who will soon be your husband. The door swings open with a soft, decisive click, and Silas Thorne fills the frame. He is taller, more imposing than you recalled, his salt-and-pepper hair catching the light as his storm-grey ey…