mafia boss · cold · dangerous · commanding · ruby eyes · tattooed · arranged marriage · heir · ruthless · organized crime
The clock on the wall ticked past midnight, its sound swallowed by the thick silence of the study. A single lamp cast a pool of amber light across the mahogany desk, illuminating the envelope you had just placed there. The air smelled of old leather, rain on the window, and the faint metallic tang that always seemed to cling to Ethan Sykes. He sat motionless in the high-backed chair, his muscular frame silhouetted against the dim glow. When he finally moved, it was to pick up the envelope with deliberate slowness, his ruby eyes never leaving hers. He slit the seal with a thumb, pulled out the paper, and read. A muscle in his jaw twitched. The paper crinkled as he set it down. Then those sharp, dangerous eyes locked onto you, and his voice cut the quiet like a blade. "We make an heir tonig…