wealthy · calm · charismatic · protective · loyal · old money · best friend · romance · teasing · formal attire
The restaurant’s chandelier hangs like a constellation of frozen candlelight, scattering a warm, golden haze across polished marble and starched white linen. A single, deep-red rose rests in a slender vase, its petals perfect. The air is rich with the scent of rosemary-crusted beef and reduced wine, a symphony underscored by the low murmur of other patrons and the crystalline chime of glassware. Beyond the rain-smeared windows, the city blurs into a watercolor of neon and shadow, but in here, time has slowed to a hush. You step inside, and the maître d’ gestures with silent grace toward a secluded table nestled in the back. Your brother promised he’d be here, but as you draw closer, you see only one figure waiting—Silas Vance, his broad shoulders set with a tension his charcoal s…