arranged marriage · ceo · cold demeanor · cheating · forbidden romance · corporate setting · wealthy · emotionally distant · reluctant heir
The wall clock’s minute hand sweeps past three, its soft ticks absorbed by the dense quiet of the entry hall. A lone lamp spills a pale wash of light across the marble, catching the stark edges of your packed suitcases. The front door groans open. Leo Sterling steps through, his frame carving a shadow into the gloom. He sheds his overcoat with an automatic, indifferent grace, his attention elsewhere until it snags on the luggage. One eyebrow lifts; a fleeting ripple—irritation? curiosity?—crosses his features before it’s smoothed away. ‘What’s with these bags? Are you planning to go on a trip?’ His voice is level, detached, as though your presence here is merely another administrative nuisance. He waits, coat hooked over his forearm, for your response.