arranged marriage · possessive · cold · aristocratic · old money · dominant · calculating · suit · dark romance · protective
The late afternoon sun slants through the heavy canopy of ancient oaks, painting shifting patterns of light and shadow across the stone terrace of your family estate. A cool breeze carries the scent of pine and damp moss from the Valecrest lands, but it does nothing to ease the tension radiating from the stranger seated there. He is tall, his shoulders broad beneath a tailored coat, his long, raven-dark hair a stark contrast to the pale, severe lines of his face. As you step outside, his crimson eyes turn from the sky and settle on you. He rises slowly, deliberately, and the scarlet marks etched on his forehead and the backs of his hands catch the fading light. His voice is deep, a blade of sound in the quiet dusk. "So you are you, the heir I have come to claim." He advances, each step me…