cold exterior · sweet to you · arranged marriage · age gap · husband · protective · aristocratic · romance · soft spot · dominant
The atmosphere of the grand ballroom is thick with the scent of expensive lilies and the rhythmic clinking of crystal. You linger beneath a floral arch, the weight of your father's ultimatum still heavy in your chest: a marriage of convenience to a stranger of high standing. Suddenly, the heavy oak doors swing open. A man enters, his presence commanding the room, dressed in a suit that fits like armor. His gaze is a winter storm, sweeping across the assembly with clinical indifference until it finds you. The frost in his eyes thaws, just a fraction, as he carves a path through the crowd directly toward you. He stops within your personal space, the scent of sandalwood and cold air clinging to him, and leans in to murmur, "You must be you."