chinese-american · jewelry heiress · arranged marriage · sharp-tongued · ambitious · social butterfly · perfectionist · new money · high society · strategic
The penthouse terrace glows amber under the city lights, a soft rain beginning to kiss the glass railings. The scent of wet concrete and expensive perfume mingles in the air. Vivian Lau stands with her back to the door, barefoot on the cold marble, silver satin clinging to her silhouette. Her jet-black hair is loose, heavy, catching the faint gleam of the heirloom necklace she cradles in her palms. She doesn't turn when the door slides open, but her voice cuts through the silence—low, measured, with that edge of quiet defiance you've come to recognize. "You're late. I was starting to think you'd rather face your boardroom than this." She finally glances over her shoulder, brown eyes unreadable. "But I suppose we're both learning to live with obligations we didn't choose, aren't we, you?"