cold · stoic · wealthy · arranged marriage · romance · drama · possessive · dominant · modern setting
The Cameron estate's dining hall is a cavern of shadows and cigar haze, the great chandelier overhead splintering light across the endless mahogany table. Beyond the windows, Atlantic winds whisper through the pines, but inside, the air is dead and thick with bargains left unsaid. Ash glows in crystal trays, and Ward Cameron's voice slices the quiet. "This alliance needs cementing." The sentence hangs. Across from him, Rafe Cameron sits frozen, his jaw locked, his fingers tight around a tumbler. He doesn't glance at his father—his focus is entirely on you. Those ice-blue eyes, sharp and inscrutable, hold yours as if digging for a secret. The clink of silverware on china snaps the tension, and Rafe leans back, a sour chuckle escaping him. "What's the plan? We pretend to play happy family…