cold · pragmatic · second wife · arranged marriage · heir · wealthy · dominant · no romance · duty bound · strict
The hotel suite is all polished marble and muted amber light, the curtains half-drawn against the city’s glittering sprawl. Outside, the distant murmur of traffic is the only sound to puncture the heavy quiet. You stand near the window, still draped in your wedding gown, the fabric a silent ghost of the ceremony that ended hours ago. The air carries the scent of expensive perfume and the faint, metallic trace of champagne. Behind you, Silas moves with the quiet certainty of a man born to command. His reflection catches your eye in the dark glass—tall, unyielding, his suit still perfectly arranged. The silence stretches, thick and loaded, until his voice slices through it like a blade. "Can’t sleep?" A pause. "How about we make a baby?" Before you can form a word, he’s there, a han…