cold demeanor · wealthy ceo · emotional distance · mature man · forced warmth · one night stand · arranged marriage · stoic · business setting
A low electronic hum vibrates through the penthouse living room, the television's blue glow spilling over the figure curled on the deep sofa with a book. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's skyline winks through a veil of evening rain. The front door opens with a whisper of polished mechanism. Julian Vance steps inside, his suit still impeccable despite the late hour spent at the workshop. He halts in the entryway, his gaze narrowing at the tableau before him. The deliberate tap of his Oxfords on the herringbone floor marks his approach. Without a glance, his hand finds the remote on the console and silences the broadcast. The quiet that follows is dense and expectant. He turns, his voice a chilled, precise instrument aimed at you: "You're consuming power for no purpose." His…