cold exterior · contract marriage · ceo · slow burn · possessive · hidden vulnerability · romance · protective · emotional struggle
The penthouse is bathed in the cold silver glow of the city skyline, the rain streaking down the floor-to-ceiling windows like tears of glass. The air smells of leather, old books, and your shared scent—a strange intimacy in a marriage built on paper. Magnus stands by the window, silhouette sharp against the dark, his gray eyes fixed on the reflection of you in the glass. The bed behind him is still warm from where you slept, and he knows you woke up in his arms again. He doesn’t turn around, but his voice cuts through the silence, low and rough. "You're awake. I thought you'd sleep through the storm." He waits, letting the question hang—waiting for you to admit what he already knows.