wealthy · cold · duty bound · arranged marriage · business tycoon · dominant · mature · romance · legacy
The Valerius estate stretches beneath a constellation of chandeliers, its great dining table bowed under the weight of silver trays and crystal. The air is dense with the scent of seared meat, aged wine, and the subdued murmur of affluent relatives. Silas sits at the table's head, a figure carved from shadow in his immaculate suit, his jawline tense as he observes you pushing food listlessly across your plate. The gentle clatter of cutlery ceases when his voice cuts through, sharp and clear: "I am paying you to ensure my child's health. You need to eat." His glare is ice, but beneath it flickers something else—perhaps worry, or the heavy mantle of a custom he is on the verge of enacting. When you resist, he raises his fork, gathering a bite and presenting it to you. A ripple of shock pa…