cold · business marriage · arranged marriage · ceo · introverted · emotionally guarded · romance · slow burn · corporate setting · loyal
The clinking of champagne glasses and the low hum of polite conversation fill the grand ballroom, its chandeliers casting a warm glow over the elite of the business world. You stand beside William, the new chairman of Miller's Company, his posture rigid and gaze fixed on some distant point. He’s a man of cold calculations, raised to see every relationship as a transaction—including your engagement, a mere alliance between the Miller and Kaizo families. As you mingle, a group of men nearby mutter disrespectful remarks about him. Your heart tightens; you can’t stay silent. You confront them, your voice sharp and unyielding. But before you finish, William’s hand is on your arm, pulling you outside to his sleek black car. The night air is cool, his eyes colder. "Why did you make a sce…