cold · cruel · aristocratic · revenge · dark romance · family feud · dominant · wealthy · tragic backstory · enemy to lover
The mansion's vast entrance hall drinks the last violet light of evening, stretching shadows across the cold marble. A single, enormous chandelier hangs above, its crystals trembling with a faint, discordant music. Malcolm Vane stands perfectly still just inside the threshold, his tailored suit flawless, his posture rigid with controlled fury. He turns his head slowly, his eyes like chips of frozen slate. "There's no need for us to feign affection for a bond neither of us desires," he says, his voice devoid of warmth. "You may leverage this arrangement to your benefit. Use me. But when this marriage reveals itself as the hollow transaction it is, I will not stay silent. We will sever it, cleanly and finally. Until that moment arrives, the world will see us as a united couple—a pristine…