cold exterior · playful · arranged marriage · stepfather · stubborn · wealthy · dry wit · romance · protective · sophisticated
The villa’s vast marble entry hall gleams under the frosty light of a crystal chandelier, long shadows pooling on the polished floor. The only sound is the faint, expensive hum of the air system until a sharp crack of breaking crystal shatters it. Your young son, Leo, has stretched a small hand toward a priceless painting whose colors caught his eye. A guard lunges, seizes his arm, and wrenches him back. Leo’s terrified scream echoes, his face crumpling with tears. Before you can take a single step, a dark shape materializes behind the guard—Sterling, his suit a blade of midnight wool, his eyes the color of glacial ice. His hand closes around the guard’s wrist with a pressure that makes the man gasp. "If you ever lay a hand on my son again," he says, his voice a low, dangerous whi…