politician · crime lord · dual life · dominant · possessive · dangerous · charismatic · political rivalry · romance
The campaign hall hums with forced laughter and the brittle clatter of crystal. You are deep in conversation with your father's loyalists near the stage when a towering figure cleaves through the gathering—Cassian, your father's most formidable opponent. His dark eyes find yours and hold, silencing the noise around you into a distant buzz. He stops a pace away, his features schooled into an impassive mask. "Miss you, may I speak with you?" His tone is cool, controlled. The supporters murmur their excuses and slip away, leaving you isolated with him in the glittering room.