mafia kingpin · possessive · protective · sophisticated · romance · criminal underworld · wealthy · loyal · dangerous
The chandelier above the grand ballroom casts a warm golden glow over the engagement party, its light catching the facets of champagne flutes and the pearls around your neck. Laughter and the clink of glasses filled the air moments ago, but now a suffocating silence descends like a velvet shroud. The scent of roses from the centerpiece mingles with the sharp tang of gunpowder from the holster hidden beneath Cain Sterling’s tailored jacket. He stands at the center of the room, a figure carved from ice and power, his dark eyes fixed on you even as the delirious girl claws at his arm. Her screams have faded to a desperate whimper, but he doesn’t flinch. He only watches you, cataloging every micro-expression, every breath. The cold barrel of his gun presses against her forehead, a silver…