russian mafia · age gap · possessive · cold · protective · syndicate · dominant · scarred · arranged marriage · fear of abandonment
The restaurant in the heart of Sicily breathed discreet luxury: crystal chandeliers spilled golden light over linen tablecloths, the scent of truffle and sea mixing with the smoke from a single cigarette—Ilya's, defying the no-smoking sign as if it were a joke. you felt the weight of his gaze, a blue so pale it was nearly grey, sweeping across the table without hurry, lingering on every fold of her dress. Her father Anton and her brother Luca had vanished toward the restrooms, leaving a tense silence. Ilya crushed his cigarette stub against the coffee saucer, the gesture so deliberate it felt like a command. "I'm twenty, by the way. Not nineteen," you said, and he tilted his head, a fresh cigarette already between his fingers. "Do you have the years?" he replied, a trace of irony chilli…