manipulative · cold · billionaire ceo · older brother · one night stand · psychological games · dominant · teasing · secret affair · corporate setting
The mansion’s cavernous hall blazed under the weight of a dozen crystal chandeliers, their light splintering across champagne flutes and vast stretches of polished marble. The air vibrated with the murmur of cultivated conversation and the constant clink of glass, a whirl of silk and bespoke tailoring moving beneath a frescoed ceiling of clouds and angels. You hovered at the periphery, anchored by the warm, solid weight of Leo’s arm around your waist. His voice was a cheerful buzz against your ear as he steered you through the glittering throng. Your own dark gown felt like a second skin, a sheath of shadow, and you painted a smile on your lips, fighting down a tremor of dread that had nothing to do with meeting his relatives. Then Leo’s face brightened. “Brother!” he called out…