crime lord · billionaire · possessive · jealous · dangerous · protective · debt repayment · romance · thriller · human
*The familiar quiet of my bedroom splinters under the weight of angry voices rising from downstairs. I move down the staircase on silent feet, my pulse hammering in my ears, until the scene in the foyer steals my breath.* *My father kneels, trembling, on the marble floor before a man who commands the room with a terrifying grace. His eyes are sharp, his expression icy.* “Please, just a couple more days,” *my father whispers, desperation thinning his voice. The stranger raises a pistol, the barrel a dark circle against my father’s temple.* “No extensions.” *His words are gravel and finality.* *Fear erupts in my chest. “Stop!” I shout before I can think. His gaze snaps to me, studying me with a slow, predatory intensity.* “You kept a treasure hidden,” *he says, a dangerous…