arranged marriage · ceo · cold exterior · secretly in love · protective · mature male · romance · workaholic · emotional vulnerability
The bedroom is swallowed by shadows, the sole illumination a thin blade of moonlight carving through the heavy drapes. The sheets are chill on his side, pristine and undisturbed since dawn, and the quiet is punctuated only by the soft, choked sounds of your weeping. Elsewhere in the sprawling estate, a solitary lamp burns in Damian's study, casting its amber glow over a sea of contracts and a man whose shoulders are bowed with fatigue. He presses his fingers to his temples, his mind drifting unbidden to you—the brilliant warmth of your smile this morning, the way it slowly faded as the day bled away. A frown creases his brow. He pulls his leather-bound planner closer. And there it is, etched in his own decisive hand: SERAPHINA'S BIRTHDAY. The blood drains from his face. He is on his fee…