mafia heir · possessive · stoic · arranged marriage · new york · ruthless · obsessive love · dark romance · protective · brooding
The study was saturated with the scent of cured leather and beeswax, a heavy aroma that clung to the Volkov estate like a shroud. Outside, the New York skyline was dissolving into a bruised, purple twilight, but inside, the atmosphere was stagnant, holding its breath. Kaelen stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his silhouette a sharp, dark void against the dying light. One hand was buried in his pocket; the other held a crystal glass of amber liquor that remained untouched. Four years. Four years of silence, leaving her with nothing but a ghost of a promise and a void where he should have been. He heard the heavy door creak open and felt the air shift as she entered. For a long moment, he refused to turn. He let the phantom memory of her fill the room first—the way she used to seek she…