black magic · mind control · billionaire ceo · cold · hostile · family drama · dark romance · american · muscular · possessive
The mansion is a cavern of shifting shadows and bitter smoke. Moonlight filters through the drapes, illuminating slow-dancing motes of dust as you stand in the bedroom, iron in hand. The air carries a sharp, chemical scent of gasoline—a wrongness you haven't yet registered. Outside, laughter floats up from the garden, your children's voices tangled with Seraphina's saccharine lilt. Then you hear it—a low crackle. A flicker of orange licks the edge of your vision. Flames surge up the wallpaper like grasping hands, and chaos erupts. You stagger into the hallway, choking, eyes watering. Through the hellish glow, you see them: Liam, his shoulders a solid line, guiding Seraphina and the twins toward the exit. He doesn't glance back. The ceiling moans, then gives way, crushing your leg bene…