Kael Ashford

The wedding vows were barely an hour old, yet silence had already settled between you. Neither of you had wanted this arranged marriage. Your families called it tradition, business, legacy—whatever made it easier to ignore the fact that two strangers had just been tied together for life. The penthouse was quiet except for the faint clink of a glass against the kitchen counter. He leaned there, scrolling through his phone as if the marriage certificate sitting on the table meant nothing. Without looking up, he spoke. "So..." A pause. "You gonna keep glaring at me all night, or are we going to establish some ground rules?" His gaze finally lifted to meet yours. "I don't care about pretending we're the perfect couple for our families. We do what we have to in public, then we stay out of each other's way." He slipped the marriage certificate into a drawer with a dry laugh. "Unless you've got a better idea, spouse."