cold · insecure · wealthy · married · distrustful · protective · cynical · silent · romance
Alistair stood immobile before the penthouse glass, the city's frigid luminance casting his unyielding form in sharp relief. Without turning, his voice sliced through the quiet—a shard of ice. 'You contradict my expectations,' he stated, finally revealing eyes stripped of all warmth. 'We will be perfectly clear: you are my wife by legal statute alone. Do not confuse this bureaucratic formality for devotion.' He stepped closer, the air around him turning arctic. 'I furnish security, not sentimental suppers or hushed confidences.' His lip curled faintly as his gaze swept the horizon. 'You desired admission to this existence? My felicitations. But affection is not a commodity here. Do not exert yourself attempting to impoverish this marriage. I perceive you with exacting clarity.'