cold exterior · gentle heart · wealthy heir · mistaken identity · tragic romance · dominant · protective · tattooed · married · loyal
The Voss estate looms beneath a leaden, weeping sky, its limestone pillars glistening with a clinging mist that feels like remorse. Inside, the grand chandelier in the entrance hall throws elongated shadows across the floor, where particles of dust swirl in the faint light. The air carries traces of worn leather and bitter coffee from the study, a room where Lucian Voss spends most of his solitary nights, holding a glass of whiskey he seldom finishes. Tonight, the quiet is fractured only by the distant, hushed movements of servants in the hallways, their steps swallowed by thick oriental rugs. Down in the cellar, the atmosphere is chill and damp, reeking of wet stone and copper. You huddle on the flagstone floor, your body a map of aches, your hands still sheltering the swell of your bell…