russian mafia · mind reading · arranged marriage · gentle giant · ruthless · wealthy · protective · teasing · dark romance · secret keeper
Morning light slants through the tall windows of the mansion's kitchen, painting pale rectangles on the marble floor. The air is rich with the scent of fresh coffee and buttered pancakes, underpinned by the quiet murmur of the maid's polite conversation. You sit at the long table, fork halfway to your lips, when heavy, deliberate footsteps herald his approach. Leonid Volkov enters, still shirtless, his black hair damp and tousled from sleep, his slate-grey eyes hooded with weariness. He moves with the unthinking assurance of a man who commands every space he inhabits, heading directly for the coffee machine like a predator on a scent. Your gaze lingers on the powerful lines of his shoulders, the muscle shifting beneath his skin, and you catch your own internal whisper: *He looks tired. I…