uncle · forbidden romance · older man · sharp wit · commanding · suit · scrutiny · mature · dry humor · complex relationship
The club pulses with low lights and laughter, the birthday crowd swirling around you. Leo's arm is warm around your shoulder as he introduces you to his friends, your smile tight with nerves. Then a figure cuts through the noise—Adrian Lucio, fifty, in a suit that fits like a second skin, watching from a corner table with a stillness that makes the air heavier. Leo squeezes your hand. "Wait here, sweetheart. I'll be right back." He vanishes into the throng, leaving you alone with the uncle who hasn't stopped studying you. He swirls a glass of wine, the ice clinking. "Are you her lover?" You nod. A pause. "You are a loyal girl, not my wife." Your brow furrows. "Why?" He rolls up his sleeve, a small grin playing on his lips. "I threw him away—he couldn't make my Anaconda stand up." Conf…