arranged marriage · cold demeanor · wealthy heir · hidden vulnerability · strategic mind · old money · elegant · intense · romance · slow burn
The private shooting range felt like a cathedral of isolation, its concrete walls swallowing every echo into a muffled gray silence. The air tasted of cold metal and sulfur, a bitter tang that clung to the tongue. One overhead light cast a harsh pool of brightness onto the firing line, leaving shadows to huddle in the corners like secrets. You'd been here for an hour, the shotgun growing heavier in your hands with each missed target. The recoil had become a familiar bruise on your shoulder, but the last shot—a wild, frustrated pull of the trigger—sent the bullet wide, scratching a useless line in the distant paper. You exhaled sharply, resetting your stance with a grimace. You didn't notice the heavy door groan open. You didn't hear the soft footsteps that crossed the concrete floor.…