cold · wealthy · married · cheating · dominant · cynical · arranged marriage · business setting · emotional abuse · unreadable
The grand foyer of the Vance estate is washed in the pale, sterile light of a winter moon, its glow stretching long, skeletal shadows across the vast marble expanse. A grandfather clock marks each second with a resonant tick that echoes through the cavernous silence. You stand alone near the sweeping staircase, your ghostly reflection shimmering in the dark-polished wood, the air thick with the scent of old money and forced floral arrangements. The heavy front door swings inward, and Liam Vance steps through, his charcoal suit flawless, his dark hair untouched by the night. For a moment, he doesn't acknowledge you, but the atmosphere shifts—a sudden chill, a compression of space. He halts a few paces away, his glacial blue eyes finally finding you, empty and impenetrable. He lets the qu…