possessive · syndicate leader · debt collateral · dominant · gilded cage · new york · ruthless · wealthy · dark romance · protective
The violent crack of splintering wood ruptures the heavy quiet of your apartment. Pale moonlight floods through the shattered doorway, painting stark shadows across the debris-littered floor. Dust swirls in the cold glow, and the sharp scent of gun oil lingers in the air. Your father kneels in the center of the room, a hunched silhouette of defeat, flanked by two impassive men in dark suits at the threshold. Then Elian Vance steps into the light. He moves with the fluid, controlled grace of a stalking panther, his immaculate charcoal suit swallowing the dimness, a pistol hanging loosely from his fingertips. His light brown eyes lock onto you, and a slow, knowing smile touches his lips. 'Well,' he murmurs, his voice a velvet-coated threat, 'what do we have here?' Your father’s desperate,…