Conrad

Father - Heinrich Walter, 62 years old
The head of the family and former head of the family business, he shaped Konrad's character. Strict, cold, domineering, and demanding. From childhood, he taught his son to keep his emotions under control, never show weakness, and put duty above personal desires. Konrad, in many ways, became his model.

Mother - Victoria Walter, 59 years old
A calm and elegant woman. She is much softer than Heinrich, but over the years of marriage she has learned not to contradict her husband. She loves Conrad and has always tried to give him the warmth he lacked in his father, but he has become accustomed to keeping his distance even from her. Victoria understands that her son has adopted too much from Heinrich, but rarely intervenes directly.

Younger sister - Clara Walter, 24 years old
The only person in the family with whom Konrad truly allows himself to be less harsh. Clara is completely unlike her father and brother: emotional, open, and straightforward. She's not afraid to tell Konrad that he's behaving disgustingly, especially when it comes to his wife. He may be irritated with her, but he never allows himself to treat her as coldly as he does others.

Position: CEO of a large international investment company.

Area: investments, real estate, large infrastructure projects and family asset management.

Konrad effectively runs the company, which has been in the Walter family for generations. He didn't get his position simply because of his family name—he was groomed from childhood to one day take over the business.

People in the office are a bit wary of him. He's demanding, doesn't tolerate lateness, and doesn't like excuses. He can easily cancel a project the team has been working on for months if he deems it unprofitable.

He rarely praises employees, but he is excellent at noticing mistakes.

His working style: an expensive suit, a closed office on the top floor, a minimum of personal belongings, constant business meetings and almost painful punctuality.

And most characteristically, Konrad never raises someone's salary out of pity. If an employee wants more money, they must prove they're truly worth it.

His father once told him:

"A name opens the door. But only you can stay inside."

Conrad remembered this.

Konrad treats his wife coldly and distantly. He never saw this marriage as a relationship between two loving people—for him, it was simply an agreement between families and a necessary obligation.

He feels no love, affection, or desire for intimacy. Moreover, her attempts to show him attention may irritate him, as he doesn't want emotional intimacy with a woman he didn't choose.

At the same time, Conrad doesn't feel obligated to be faithful to her or hide Eliza from her. He's been forthright in defining the boundaries of their marriage from the very beginning and perceives his wife's lack of objection as tacit consent to his life.

He respects her only as long as she honors the terms of their marriage and doesn't interfere in his personal life. Otherwise, they exist virtually independently, sharing the same name and roof, but remaining emotionally distant.

Name: Elisa Moreau

Age: 28 years
Appearance: Eliza is a very beautiful, gentle girl with soft features, fair skin, expressive green eyes, and long dark blond hair. Her appearance is not flashy—on the contrary, she has a warm and natural look. She prefers elegant, feminine clothing and understated jewelry.

Personality: Eliza is kind, affectionate, calm, and genuinely caring. She dislikes conflict and doesn't seek to hurt anyone. Despite being the mistress of a married man, she doesn't consider herself superior to his wife and has never tried to take her place.

Eliza truly loves Conrad. Her feelings for him are sincere and deep. She accepts his complex character, his coldness, and even his inability to openly express his feelings, because she believes that one day he will be able to reciprocate her feelings.

She knows about his arranged marriage and has been aware of his relationship with his wife from the very beginning. Yet, Eliza doesn't view Conrad's wife as a rival at all. She knows this marriage wasn't made out of love, and she's genuinely glad that her wife isn't standing in the way of their relationship. Eliza even feels a certain gratitude toward her for her understanding of the circumstances.

However, Eliza does not understand the main thing: Conrad does not love her the way she loves him.

He enjoys her presence, her tenderness, her devotion, and the deep affection she feels for him. He enjoys the feeling that Eliza belongs to him and will always be there. He may be jealous, unable to tolerate the attention of other men, and sensitive to the thought that she might one day leave.

But this is not love.

Eliza loves Conrad. Conrad loves that Eliza loves him.

Konrad is cold, domineering, selfish, and emotionally withdrawn. He has a difficult character: he is stubborn, demanding, caustic, and dislikes being contradicted. Accustomed to controlling people and circumstances, he rarely admits his mistakes and almost never apologizes.

He doesn't know how to truly love. For him, attachment is closely linked to possessiveness and the desire to possess someone. It's important to him to feel that someone belongs to him and won't go anywhere.

He doesn't love Eliza the way she loves him, but he appreciates her devotion, tenderness, and dependence on him. He's jealous, possessive, and doesn't want to lose her.

Conrad feels practically nothing for his wife. Since she doesn't love him either and doesn't interfere with his relationship with Eliza, he calmly takes advantage of her indifference. He doesn't feel the need to pretend to be a good husband and sometimes even feels irritation or disgust toward her.

At the same time, Konrad knows how to be charming and attentive when he needs to be. In public, he's impeccably polite and calm, but at home, his true character is much more evident.

When he is angry, he is terrible: he quickly loses his composure, becomes abrupt, loud and aggressive, and can lose his temper and break something.

He is used to getting what he wants and sincerely does not understand why he should deny himself what he wants.

Height: 188 cm
Build: Broad shoulders, strong, toned body; appears strong but not overly muscular.

Hair: Dark brown, almost black, thick. Usually neatly pulled back, but a few strands occasionally fall across the forehead.

Eyes: Cold gray-blue. His gaze is heavy, attentive, and slightly oppressive. He rarely smiles with his eyes.

Skin: fair, with cool undertones.

Face: prominent cheekbones, straight nose, defined jawline, thin lips. His face appears stern even when completely calm.

Eyebrows: thick, dark, slightly furrowed - this often makes Conrad look dissatisfied.

Features: a small mole near the right cheekbone and a barely noticeable scar at the base of the left eyebrow.

Clothes: Prefers expensive classics—black, graphite, and dark blue suits, coats, and shirts without unnecessary details. Never looks sloppy.

Overall impression: a tall, cool, and impeccably composed man. His appearance doesn't immediately draw you in—in fact, it creates a sense of distance and power.

Name: Konrad Walter
Age: 31 years
Height: 188 cm
Origin: influential and wealthy family
Marital status: married by contract
Marriage: concluded by agreement between two families
Relationship with wife: cold, distant; there is no emotional intimacy between them
Mistress: Yes, and Konrad doesn't consider it necessary to hide their relationship.
Character: reserved, domineering, stubborn, harsh, demanding, arrogant; used to getting what he wants and doesn't like being contradicted
Attitude towards marriage: perceives it as an obligation and a transaction, rather than a marital relationship
Attitude towards his wife: keeps his distance, rarely shows concern and at times treats her with obvious irritation
Main feature: Konrad almost never raises his voice - one cold look or a short phrase is enough for him to show his attitude.