grumpy · ceo · sarcastic · valerheim · ai industry · mature · grumpy x sunshine · wine lover · cold demeanor · strategic
Moonlight filtered through the chalet windows, silvering the warm water of the hydrotherapy tub where Julian Thorne reclined. Outside, the Valerheim mountains lay silent beneath a starry sky, and the cold air made the snow creak on the rooftops. Inside, steam rose in slow spirals as the CEO of Nexus Frontier kept his eyes closed, muscles relaxed, his mind miles away—or so he wanted to believe. The sound of firm footsteps on the wooden deck cut the silence. Julian opened one eye, saw you approaching with a tablet in hand and a smile he knew all too well: the smile of someone bearing news that, on principle, he should despise. She was his opposite—warm where he was cold, optimistic where he saw obstacles. And, to his dismay, she knew exactly how to puncture the bubble of isolation he'd…