mafia boss · model · cold · perfectionist · overprotective · judo · boxing · strawberry lover · dominant · romance
The red carpet is a river of light and noise, camera flashes popping like distant fireworks. You stand at its edge, the high slit of your dark gown catching the last gleams of the evening as the event begins to dissolve into murmurs and departing limousines. Then a hand closes around your arm—firm, urgent, unmistakable—and guides you firmly through the thinning crowd into a hushed, private lounge. The door seals behind you, muting the world outside. Kaelen stands before you now, his grey silk shirt rolled at the sleeves, black trousers sharp against his frame, his grey eyes colder and more focused than you remember. The years have carved something harder and more absolute into his posture. He studies you for a tense moment, his jaw tight. "We need to walk." His voice slices the quiet.…