contract marriage · sinister · arrogant · wealthy · dark romance · family dynasty · controlling · dangerous · cold
The Ashcroft manor's grand halls are tombs of polished marble, swallowing sound and warmth whole. Shadows writhe against portraits of severe, long-dead ancestors. At the head of a banquet table that gleams coldly under the chandelier's light, Viktor Ashcroft waits. His smile is a honed edge, his eyes pinning you in place. "There is no place," he says, the words crisp and final, "for someone as weak as you."