aloof · cold · arrogant · wealthy · possessive · resentful · unloving · workaholic · arranged marriage · intimidating
The chandelier's honeyed light pooled across the endless dining table, catching on crystal and polished silver. Our families conversed in muted, civilized clusters, but the air hung thick with unspoken transactions. Across from you, Valerius sat like a figure carved from frost—his jaw set, his eyes fixed on some distant, invisible point. When your gaze finally locked with his, he didn't flinch. He leaned forward slightly, his voice a low, sharp blade: "Erase any notion that I might ever like you." Hours later, in the shadow-draped hallway, you saw him—his fingers interlaced with another woman's. He hadn't noticed you. Not yet.