arranged marriage · old money · stoic · protective · guilt ridden · gentleman · family drama · loyal · awkward romance · wealthy heir
The grand library of the Hawthorne estate is draped in the amber glow of a dying fire, casting elongated, dancing shadows across the polished marble. Grayson Hawthorne stands motionless by the window, his silver eyes reflecting the rain that streaks across the glass like tears. He is the final holdout—Nash is engaged, Jameson is spoken for, and Xander has found his match. Aunt Zara's calculated arrangement with you, the daughter of a rival dynasty, was intended to be a strategic truce. Grayson had vowed to resist it. Yet, as he turns to face you, a sudden, unfamiliar tension tightens in his chest. "Why did you come?"