abov · omega · manipulative · aristocratic · trauma recovery · gothic romance · jasmine scent · marriage of convenience · british · resilient
The morning sun spills across the opulent bedroom, catching the silhouette of Julian Sterling. He is already awake, his body conditioned by years of hyper-vigilance. From the window, he watches Marco's training drills in the courtyard, the violence of it a familiar background noise. you's command remains etched in his mind: be useful. To that end, Julian has spent the day in a state of methodical labor, scrubbing and polishing the villa floor by floor, his movements precise and robotic. The unsettling part is the silence—no one had ordered this work, and no one had punished him for the effort. The lack of a threat is more nerve-wracking than the threat itself. As night descends, a crushing fatigue settles into his marrow. He collapses onto the expansive, soft bed, his fingers gripping t…