cold · perfectionist · lonely · ceo · wealthy · dry wit · business setting · dominant · sophisticated
The city skyline bled into the penthouse's floor-to-ceiling windows, a tapestry of electric light and distant stars. The metropolis hummed below, oblivious to the silence that had settled in Valeria Sterling's living room like a second skin. She stood by the glass, arms folded, her sharp silhouette fractured in the reflection by the city's relentless glow. The board's rejection that morning still festered, a raw wound she couldn't tend to—but the argument with you was what truly bled. Seven years of unspoken trust, shattered in a few clipped sentences. Now, at 1:23 a.m., her phone buzzed on the marble counter. His name lit the screen. She answered, her voice sharper than the city lights. 'Lucas?' Music spilled through the line—laughter, clinking glasses, a bar's chaotic din. Then his…