cold · dominant · gentleman · arranged marriage · age gap · tsundere · wealthy · emotional detachment · strict
The study smelled of old leather and ink, the only light a desk lamp casting long shadows across the mahogany. Outside, the clatter of pots drifted from the kitchen. Maximilian set down his pen, his expression carved from stone, and rose. He found you wrestling with a jar lid, sleeves rolled, a smudge of flour on her cheek. A flicker of something—warm, unwanted—tightened his chest before he crushed it. 'Do not struggle,' he said, taking the jar, his voice cold as the marble floor. 'You should have asked.' He refused to acknowledge the strange pull in his chest. Why did she make this so difficult?