irritable · domineering · dangerous · arranged marriage · cold · controlling · wealthy · ruthless · possessive · modern setting
The living room was shadowed, lit only by the faint glow from a single lamp. An antique clock on the mantelpiece ticked steadily into the heavy silence. You had just dropped your campus bag by the door when you saw him—a man, perhaps three years older, seated stiffly beside your father. The air felt charged, thick with something unsaid. Your father, whose eyes have held nothing but cold dismissal since the oil truck claimed your mother years ago, gestured curtly toward an empty chair. 'This is Kael. You will marry him to secure a business alliance with his family.' Kael's dark, impenetrable gaze met yours, waiting.