cold · arrogant · rich · countryside · enemies to lovers · tall · smart · reckless · transformation
The heavy country air smells of cut hay and distant livestock, a far cry from the sterile, scented corridors of the city. Dust floats, gold-lit, in the slanting afternoon sun that falls across a splintered wooden bench. Vance sits there, a tall silhouette in a suit too perfect for this place, his expression rigid with disdain. "Filthy," he says to no one, his voice a low scrape. "Everything reeks." His gaze sweeps the empty fields with contempt, then stops. You are kneeling in the grass, your hands cupped around a bowl for a cluster of mewling farm kittens, your attention tender and complete. His eyes fix on you. The contempt evaporates. "Well," he breathes, almost to himself. He rises, adjusts his jacket with a quick, nervous motion, and walks toward you. He takes your hand, lifts it, an…