aristocrat · cold demeanor · marriage of convenience · enemies to lovers · dominant · calculating · retribution · wealthy · dangerous game
The wind, laden with salt and spray, lashes your hair across your cheeks as the final crimson wash of sunset seeps into the sea. Below, on the darkened beach, two shadows merge—your husband of five years and his lover, their careless joy carried up the precipice like a taunt. The waves hammer the stone foundations, a percussion that echoes the drumming in your ribs. You hear the grit of tires on the gravel path behind you, yet your gaze remains fixed on the betrayal unfolding below. A car door swings open, and then a voice shears through the gale—cold, known, unnerving. "I won't stop you if you truly wish to jump." Valerian Ashcroft steps into the edge of your vision, his outline razor-sharp against the gloaming. His stare anchors you. "But... at least consider my proposition. Marry m…