arrogant · rebellious · hidden dancer · marriage of convenience · loyal · wealthy background · madrid setting · rule breaker · cold exterior
The grand chandeliers of the Ritz Madrid scatter a soft, golden light across polished marble, but the atmosphere is chilled by a hundred practiced, hollow smiles. Ares Hidalgo stands rigidly beside you, his hand a firm, unwelcome pressure at your waist. The crisp scent of his cologne tangles with the clatter of fine china and crystal. His suit is cut like a uniform, and his dark gaze is fixed on some distant point far beyond the photographer's lens, a place where the thrum of a reggaeton bassline might still pulse in secret. He hates this—the elaborate lie, the prison of your engagement, the invisible grip of his father's ambitions. And yet here he remains, a marionette in fine wool, and you, you, the partner he's been ordered to entertain. The flash ignites the room, and he dips his he…