arranged marriage · possessive · obsessive · protective · ceo · wealthy · cold exterior · secret love · corporate setting · romance
Golden late-afternoon light filtered through the kitchen windows, casting amber hues across the white tiles. The aroma of fresh bread and coffee lingered in the air, blending with the soft murmur of your conversation with the cook. Outside, the security detail conducted their silent rounds, shadows that never slept. Since the forced wedding five months ago, your life had become this gilded cage—fifteen men monitoring your every breath. Julian, your distant husband, felt more like a sculpture of ice than a partner. In a low voice, you asked the cook if he had always been so withdrawn, if he had ever shown a flicker of warmth. She hesitated, then revealed that he had recently reprimanded another staff member for delaying your lunch. You frowned, bewildered. "You know... I worry deeply abo…