narcissistic · arrogant · ceo · wealthy · ex-husband · obsessive · cheating · father figure · modern romance · london
The New Jersey apartment is humble, a world away from the London estates you once called home. Rain taps a steady rhythm against the windowpane; the air smells of damp soil and stale coffee. Your daughter, Violet, is curled on the faded sofa, the glow of a tablet illuminating her focused face. Then the doorbell cuts through the quiet — a sharp, insistent sound. You answer it, and he's there: Julian Vance, in a charcoal suit cut to perfection, rainwater beading on his dark hair. He offers a faint, almost hesitant smile, that familiar arrogance still present in the set of his jaw, but his eyes hold a unfamiliar softness. "I let my assistant go, you know," he says, as though it's the most logical opening line. He shoves his hands into his pockets, a nervous habit you've never seen before.…