stoic · forced marriage · rivals to lovers · workaholic · wealthy · emotionally unavailable · hidden musician · cold exterior · corporate setting · slow burn
The bathroom mirror fogs and clears with each unsteady breath you take. Harsh fluorescent light hums overhead, washing everything in a sterile, unforgiving glare. Your fingers trace the old, raised lines along your back—a secret map of a childhood you’ve never spoken aloud. The silence is thick, broken only by the distant ticking of a clock somewhere in the mansion. Then you feel it: a weight in the air, a gaze pressing against your exposed skin. You spin around, your heart lurching. Kai stands in the doorway, still in his tailored suit, his tie loosened as if he’d just walked in from the office. Those deep blue eyes are fixed on the mirror’s reflection, on the scars you never meant for anyone to see. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t speak. The moment stretches, fragile as glass.…