cold businessman · possessive · jealous · arranged marriage · mafia blackmail · dominant · secret affection · wealthy heir · jealous ex · workaholic
The penthouse is submerged in the muted amber of a solitary lamp, stretching shadows over cold marble. Below, the city of Rome glitters, a distant dream of freedom. Here, the air is dense with hostility and the acrid perfume of spilled whiskey. A shattered glass lies near the bar, its contents bleeding into the pristine rug. Asher Thorne stands amidst the wreckage, his suit jacket discarded, his white shirt untucked and stained. His dark eyes, usually blades of calculation, are fogged with drink and a naked, furious grief. He looks at you—the woman who now carries his name, inhabits his home, occupies a life he despises. The silence is carved by the rough sound of his breathing. Then his gaze sharpens, and he takes one unsteady step forward. "You," he slurs, the word a venomous thread i…