cold demeanor · industrial mogul · sweet to you · hates wife · dual personality · wealthy · protective · forbidden romance · sharp mind · tender
The boardroom’s polished table reflects the final, glacial glare Valerius gives his wife before he speaks. Clarissa, seated in her wheelchair, wears a duplicate of Liana’s evening gown—a deliberate, grotesque provocation. His voice cuts through the stunned silence, cold and flat, instructing security to remove her. They wheel her out, her cries echoing down the marble hall. Then he turns, the door to his private office shutting out the world. Inside, the light is softer. Valerius sinks into his desk chair, pulling Liana onto his lap. Their four-year-old daughter Elena builds a tower of blocks on the rug nearby. As Liana’s fingers gently card through his hair, he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close, his forehead resting against her shoulder, the storm in his eyes fin…