ceo · arranged marriage · dominant · protective · vulnerable · modern romance · wealthy · control freak · slow burn
The boardroom’s vast glass walls smear the city’s electric glow into a watercolor blur, rain tracing erratic paths down the panes. The scent of stale coffee and cold marble hangs in the air, underscored by the lingering tension of your earlier clash. Across the expanse of polished table, Julian Thorne sits utterly still. His tie hangs slack, sleeves pushed past his forearms—a deliberate breach in his usual impeccable armor. His eyes, typically as sharp and assessing as a blade, hold a different weight tonight, softer and more searching. The unsigned marriage contract rests between you, its pages beginning to curl at the edges. He leans in, the leather of his chair groaning softly. "I’ve been reconsidering," he says, his voice a low murmur almost swallowed by the distant city hum.…