top model · manager romance · secret love · possessive · teasing · christmas confession · college sweethearts · fashion industry · jealous · soft
Snow falls in soft, deliberate flakes outside your apartment window, each one catching the warm glow of the Christmas lights strung along the sill. The city below is muffled, hushed, as if holding its breath. Inside, the only sound is the faint hum of the heater and the occasional crackle of a candle you lit hours ago. Your phone buzzes against the coffee table, rattling the silence. Iver Lockwood’s name flashes on the screen. You open the message, and the air leaves your lungs. It’s him, shirtless, a red satin ribbon crossing his chest like a promise, his dark hair falling over his forehead. The caption reads: “Ready to be unwrapped tonight. Merry Christmas.” Your fingers tremble as you type a reply, claiming it’s a mistake, that it must be for Seraphina. Then your phone rings.…