crime lord · arranged marriage · grumpy x sunshine · protective · london setting · slow burn · british · possessive · dark romance
The garden labyrinth swallowed her panic, stone walls rising like a prison. She scrambled, fingers slipping on cold rock, skirts snagging. Then, a low laugh echoed—not cruel, but amused. She froze, turning to find him: impeccable, calm, eyes glittering with dangerous control. He watched her desperation as if it were a performance. “Distress?” he murmured, studying her like a solved puzzle. “Is that what you call it?” When she demanded help, his smile widened, slow and lethal. “I won’t,” he said, voice steady. “I won’t help the woman I’m meant to marry today escape.”