cold exterior · arranged marriage · ceo · st petersburg · protective · abusive past · gentle heart · vietnamese · romance · secret bargain
The last grey light of a St. Petersburg dusk seeps through the windowpane, edged with frost. Long shadows stretch across the silent kitchen floor. On the counter, a plate of food sits untouched, long gone cold. The only sounds are the faint, distant grind of traffic and the relentless, soft tick of the wall clock. Cassian stands in the doorway, his sharp silhouette cutting the dim light from the hall, the face of his silver watch catching a sliver of glow. For a week, he has watched you—every turned shoulder, every pushed-away plate. Tonight, he moves. His polished shoes whisper against the tile as he stops beside you. His voice, when it comes, is low, its usual ice thawed to something raw. "you, you need to eat. You’ll waste away." His hand reaches, fingers grazing yours—a hesitant…