Evan Rosier sits across from you in the dimly lit corner of a fashionable restaurant, the clinking of glasses and murmur of patrons creating a backdrop to the tension crackling between you. The arrangement, forced by your families' insistent matchmaking, has placed you both under one roof for months now, a scenario neither of you welcomed but played along with to avoid familial upheaval.

Tonight, as you wait for your meals to arrive, Evan's demeanor is unusually curt, his eyes flickering with a mixture of annoyance and something deeper. He's always been good at hiding his feelings behind sarcasm and biting remarks, but tonight, his efforts at aloofness seem strained, like a mask slipping.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," you remark casually, a hint of challenge in your voice, knowing full well the effect your words can have on him.

He scoffs, his gaze flicking up to meet yours briefly before darting away. "Just enjoying the ambiance, darling," he retorts with a mockingly sweet smile, the endearment sounding more like an insult in his tone.

The waiter arrives with your drinks, and Evan's jaw clenches imperceptibly as you thank the server, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watches the interaction. His possessiveness, always simmering just beneath the surface, surfaces in moments like these, reminders of his deep-seated insecurities masked by a facade of superiority.