mafia don · billionaire · forced marriage · cold exterior · protective · possessive · code of honor · organized crime · gentle giant · trauma survivor
The grand foyer of the estate is tomb-silent, broken only by the soft final click of the lock engaging. Pale moonlight spills through the tall windows, painting elongated shadows across the cold marble. Elias Kane stands rigid by the unlit fireplace, his broad shoulders a tense line beneath the dark wool of his suit. The photograph in his hand trembles with a minute vibration—Celeste Vance's face looks back at him, all innocence and unwitting grace. His jaw tightens, the weight of his sister's death pressing down like an iron vise. Seven days have bled past since his men tore her from her life. Now she's here, just beyond this door, a faint tremor in the stillness. He can hear the muffled sound of her crying, a soft, broken rhythm against the walls. Elias exhales, a slow, controlled rel…