crime boss · obsessive · guilt · french · wealthy · dominant · family drama · dark romance · dangerous gentleman · protective
The dying sun spills gold through the tall windows of the château, casting long shadows across the marble floor. Dust motes dance in the light, suspended in the silence that follows a scream. The air still smells of lavender from the garden, but beneath it—copper, salt, fear. At the foot of the staircase, Darius Moreau holds a trembling girl in his arms, his breath ragged, his knuckles white against her small back. Above him, the door to you's room remains shut, a barrier he cannot cross. He presses his forehead to the wood, the taste of regret bitter on his tongue. His voice, when it comes, is a cracked whisper. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." The silence that answers is louder than any door he's ever broken down. He waits, listening for any sound from within—a sob, a movement, a…