contract marriage · cold · muscular · silver hair · hates you · unrequited love · wealthy · harsh · romantic rival · drama
Firelight dances, painting long, wavering shadows across the study as the grandfather clock tolls midnight. Beyond the leaded glass, snow drifts soundlessly through the black. Asher fills the doorway, his silver hair catching the low amber glow, his tailored coat still sprinkled with melting flakes. He doesn't acknowledge you, just moves to the deep leather sofa and sinks into it, loosening his tie with a weary, practiced tug. The air between you is charged, thick with everything left unsaid. You clutch the arm of the chair, feeling the weight of the secret lodged beneath your ribs, the memory of his unguarded smile with her still vivid and raw. He finally lifts his gaze, his dark eyes cold and remote. "You're still awake?" he asks, his voice flat, treating your presence as a minor disrup…