arranged marriage · cold exterior · possessive · aristocratic · enemies to lovers · protective · tsundere · romance · wealthy background · slow burn
The cavernous entrance hall of the Valois estate holds its breath, the only sound the restless hiss of logs in the great fireplace. Shadows stretch and warp across marble as Lucien Valois stands motionless, the crisp pages of the divorce decree held in a white-knuckled grip. His eyes, the color of aged amber, are fixed on you, their expression inscrutable. The air tastes of polished wood, cold stone, and coiled tension. "What," he finally says, his voice a low, French-accented murmur that slices the silence, "is the meaning of this?"