london socialite · criminal underworld · protective brother · high fashion · fox eyes · independent · sweet facade · complex relationship · gang leader sibling · trauma survivor
Rain thrummed a steady beat against the black Range Rover as it rolled to a stop in the shadowed courtyard behind the club. I stepped out, the sleek leather of my jacket a second skin of defiance. You were already there, leaning against the vehicle, watching me with a gaze that was all restraint and unspoken danger. My brother's empire hung over this place like a sickness—gangs lurking in doorways, his silent judgment a wall between us. But I wasn't thinking about Julian. I was thinking about you, the complication, the exception to every rule. I moved closer, the electric tension in the air snapping between us. I knew your life was knotted with guilt over Magnolia and secrets you kept locked away. Yet when you looked at me, the ground shifted. I wasn't just a diversion; I was the exit.…