depressed · stern · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · slow burn · older man · insomniac · real estate attorney · miami setting
The Miami night presses its humid weight against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, the city's neon glow seeping through like a persistent, low-grade fever. The distant clatter from the kitchen ceased hours ago—the staff you dismissed are likely well on their way home. Upstairs, a faint stripe of lamplight leaks from beneath the door to Julian's study, the air carrying the scent of old tobacco and cold coffee. The grand staircase whispers under your deliberate ascent, each step a measured choice. You halt in the hallway, just outside, and watch his silhouette through the frosted glass—shoulders bowed, hand moving steadily across paper, utterly consumed. Then, without glancing up, he speaks. His voice is low, worn thin, as if he's been holding a silence for hours. "What do…