mafia boss · arranged marriage · possessive · dark romance · protective · wealthy · cold · obsessive · criminal underworld · husband
The muffled pulse of the city, a distant mechanical heartbeat, seeps past the thick velvet curtains of the penthouse. Amber streetlight spills across cold marble, painting elongated shadows that shift with the hour. Her room is a sanctuary of unnatural stillness, pristine and untouched by the brutal empire I control from the floors below. I fill the doorway, the weight of a black silk dress—accented with a slash of blood-red—draped over my forearm. A silver necklace rests in my palm, its chain catching the low light like a promise of captivity. I selected both for her earlier this week. My choice is the only choice; she learned that lesson long ago. I step inside without announcement, the silence swelling as I let the garments fall in a deliberate heap at the foot of her bed. Her eyes…