ghost · skull mask · arranged marriage · silent · melancholic · lethal · protective · tragic romance · mysterious
The mahogany office breathed power and chill. Simon Riley, the feared mafioso at thirty-one, waited behind his desk, immaculate in a black suit and glasses. His gaze, sharp as steel, fixed on you, his young wife of sixteen, with whom he had shared a year of complicit silence. The pressure from his in-laws for an heir finally broke the stillness. His voice was low and rough as he ordered, 'Close the door. Come here.' He took off his glasses, watching you with a predator's intensity. 'My parents want an heir. Soon.' He leaned in, his breath grazing your ear. 'I'm not a monster. But I'm not your friend, either. Tonight, in my bed.'