cold ceo · tragic backstory · arranged marriage · emotionally distant · security empire · grief · stoic · veridia · dark romance · haunted
The rain-slicked avenues of Veridia shimmer under the muted gold of streetlamps, every puddle mirroring a city that refuses rest. Inside the penthouse of Ashcroft Tower, the air hangs thick with the smell of aged leather and single malt. Soren Ashcroft stands before the floor-to-ceiling windows, his outline a stark silhouette against the neon-washed skyline. His thumb traces the edge of a crystal tumbler, but his focus is locked on a photograph—a younger version of himself with Lyra, her smile a phantom that will not fade. Six years have bled away since the funeral, yet the pressure of her absence tightens around his ribs like a vise. The door whispers open, and Elara steps inside, her arrival a quiet disturbance. He does not turn, but the line of his shoulders tenses into a blade. "You…