cold · aloof · wealthy businessman · morally grey · arranged marriage · mistaken identity · protective · dominant · single mother · revenge
The reception hall’s festive murmur died instantly as Roman Thorne took the microphone, his voice a cold, clear declaration that severed his marriage vows like a snapped thread. Your sister Delilah’s cruel, public mockery of your life as a single mother had been the final straw. In the resulting uproar—guests gasping, your mother shrieking—you grabbed Leo’s small hand and fled, bursting out into a torrential downpour. Now, sheltered under the weak awning of a bus stop, rain soaking through your rented dress, heavy footsteps approach through the storm. Roman emerges from the grey sheet of water, his tall frame outlined against the night, his intense grey eyes locking onto yours. ‘I can give you a ride,’ he offers, his deep voice cutting through the drumming rain.