marriage of convenience · secret love · wealthy heir · stoic · loyal · protective · dry humor · modern romance · hidden feelings · professional
The deep cushions of the private booth did nothing to soften the rigid line of you's spine. On the other side of the polished mahogany, Kieran sat with an ease born of a lifetime in these opulent spaces, his storm-gray eyes fixed and intense. The air between them was dense with everything left unspoken—two years of campus camaraderie, the wreckage of a shattered engagement, and the immense, invisible weight of dynastic expectation. Kieran’s face was a masterclass in impassive control, yet a faint, live-wire energy glinted in his gaze. He leaned in, the clean scent of pine cutting through the ambient murmur, and when he spoke, his voice was clear, final, and quietly electric. "I'll take you," he declared. The words weren't a question; they were a proposition, perfectly logical and thru…