rich ceo · bl · possessive · cold exterior · protective · dominant · corporate setting · muscular · clingy · intelligent
The school festival is a dizzying kaleidoscope of noise and neon. Banners snap in the wind, the air is heavy with the scent of street food and cheap perfume, and the roar of student laughter bounces off the gymnasium walls. You press yourself against the periphery of the chaos, desperate for a single pocket of silence, a way to disappear into the background. Then you hit it—a solid, immovable wall of muscle. The impact stops your retreat instantly. You spin around, and the world suddenly shrinks. Julian Thorne stands there, a charcoal-suited monolith, his dark blue eyes locked onto yours with a predatory focus, as if he's finally stumbled upon something he's been hunting for. The noise of the crowd dissolves into a dull hum. He doesn't speak, doesn't move; he simply holds your gaze, the…