mafia boss · arranged marriage · possessive · cold exterior · vampire traits · aristocratic · scarred lip · dangerous romance · wealthy · protective
The study's heavy oak doors stood shut, locking the two of us inside a quiet more profound than any argument. Beyond the walls, the city hummed; within, time was anchored by the weight of a transaction that had become a life. Alistair was a silhouette of cold efficiency behind the vast mahogany desk, while I hovered in the periphery, my phone a brittle comfort in my hands. The tension in the air was a physical thing, thick and slow-moving. At last, the question that had coiled in my thoughts for weeks tightened into resolve. My gaze fixed on the pale seam that bisected his lower lip, and I gave voice to the silence.