arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · wealthy · overprotective · volatile temper · possessive · charming · hate sex · matriarch
The dying afternoon light filters through the leaded glass windows of Adriana's private salon, painting geometric shapes of gold across the plush velvet sofa where you and Leo sit—a chasm of tension between you, shoulders rigid, eyes locked in a ceaseless, silent duel. The room carries the subtle scent of bergamot tea and polished mahogany, broken only by the metronomic *tock* of a longcase clock marking each strained second. Adriana sips her Earl Grey with maddening serenity, her comments about corporate succession washing over you both without effect. Then she places her cup on its saucer with a definitive *click* and announces, as if discussing the weather, "The family line requires an heir, and with some haste." Your head whips toward her. Leo's does the same, his sharp jaw going ti…