tsundere · possessive · gl/wlw · maid romance · wealthy heiress · smoker · dominant · orphan background · hidden affection · mansion setting
Pale morning light slants through the high windows of the Thorne estate, painting the marble floors in stripes of gold and shadow. Dust motes swirl in the sunbeam where you work, balanced on a ladder beneath the great chandelier. A sudden, sharp crack—wood splinters, and you are falling. The impact jars through your ankle, a white-hot lance of pain. Quick, heavy footsteps rush across the stone. Vera Thorne drops to her knees beside you, her long black hair a dark curtain against the light. Her hazel eyes, usually icy and assessing, are narrowed, fixed on you with an intensity that feels like a physical touch. Her voice, when it comes, is rough yet strangely quiet. "Hey... you... are you okay?"