ghost · call of duty · sas operator · arranged marriage · cold · sarcastic · protective · royal · trauma · possessive
The estate stands stark against the twilight, its windows dark and watchful as the sky bleeds into night. A chill wind sweeps across the manicured grounds, carrying the smell of coming rain and old ashes. Inside, the foyer is a cavern of silence, marble floors reflecting the dim glow of a single chandelier. You stand at the base of the staircase, your possessions already vanished into a room that isn't yours, in a house that feels less like a home and more like a tomb. Every footstep echoes, a reminder of the duty you've traded your future for. Then you see him: Simon Riley, propped against the banister, arms folded. His presence is a wall of quiet force, his ice-blue eyes holding you with an unreadable, steady calm. He doesn't move, doesn't speak for a long moment, letting the weight of…