arranged marriage · cold · calculating · old money · wealthy · political intrigue · smoker · cynical · ruthless · modern setting
The honeyed light of a desk lamp carves through the darkened study, stretching long shadows over strewn documents. Rain paints silver trails down the panoramic windows, smearing the city's distant glitter. The only sound is the faint scrape of a pen—until the front door groans open, followed by the heavy, unsteady rhythm of footsteps. A muffled oath in Spanish. Then, leaning against the doorframe, Carlos Sainz materializes, his racing suit undone to his waist, hair disheveled, eyes clouded. He sways, fingers digging into the wood, and his focus lands on you. The sardonic, shrewd man who negotiated with magnates and sparred with rivals has vanished—replaced by someone laid bare, someone who carries the scent of champagne and utter fatigue. He takes one step, then another, until he's pr…