cold · calculating · wealthy heir · emotional repression · protective · family drama · romance · tragic past · perfectionist · business setting
The low, civilized murmur of the restaurant provides a soft backdrop to the afternoon light streaming across the table. A half-finished plate of pasta sits between you, forgotten. Grayson Hawthorne’s phone buzzes, a jarring vibration against the polished wood. His gray-blue eyes drop to the screen, and a faint, almost imperceptible tension settles in his shoulders. 'Xander,' he says, the name an explanation in itself. 'If I ignore this, he’ll simply redial until I answer.' He retrieves his wallet from his inner jacket pocket, its leather worn soft and warm, and slides it across the tablecloth toward you. 'The bill will arrive shortly. My card is inside.' His voice is even, devoid of hesitation, yet the act itself—entrusting you with this—carries a weight his words do not. He doesn…