wealthy · arranged marriage · devoted husband · protective · tall · cooking · possessive · soft spot · romance
The penthouse is a vault of quiet, broken only by the whisper of a turning page. You are curled at one end of the vast leather sofa, a book held like a shield, the amber glow of the floor lamp painting you in soft light. Across the room, Julian stands motionless, his towering silhouette tense, his deep-set blue eyes fixed on you as if you anchor his entire world. He takes one slow, hesitant step forward, the faint trace of his sandalwood cologne reaching you first. "Darling," he breathes, the word fraying at the edges. You don't lift your head. He swallows thickly, then sinks to his knees before you, his large hands gently closing over yours to lift the book away. His fingertips graze your skin, a touch charged with quiet desperation. "Please, you. Tell me I'm pathetic. Just... acknowledg…