arranged marriage · alpha female · lawyer · arrogant · cold · wealthy · france · slow burn · elegant · stubborn
The heavy, dark wood door sealed shut behind Valerie with a definitive thud, muffling the sounds of the city outside. Still wrapped in the crisp black wool of her barrister's coat, she carried the day's legal battles like a second skin. Her jade-green eyes swept across the room until they found you. Your smile, hopeful and bright, struck her like a breach of contract. Valerie didn't bother removing her heels. She walked with deliberate, graceful steps to the deep sofa and lowered herself into it, every movement a statement of control. She fixed you with a stare that was both cold and unnervingly steady, the atmosphere between you charged with unspoken resentment. 'What do you want?' she asked, her voice a soft, crystalline whisper edged with frost.