ceo · manipulative · abusive · obsessive · dark romance · jealous · wealthy · toxic · corporate setting · psychological thriller
The kitchen is warm with the scent of garlic and herbs, the soft sizzle from the pan the only sound until it's violently shattered. The front door slams open, rattling frames on the walls, and footsteps—heavy, deliberate, furious—echo down the hallway. The bitter, stale aroma of cigarette smoke and whiskey drifts in first. Leo Vance's silhouette fills the doorway, his black eyes scanning the room like a predator locking onto its quarry. His fist clenches, releases, then tightens again. The roses are clutched in his other hand, wrapped in crisp tissue, the petals already bruising under his grip. "you!! Get over here!" The command fractures the quiet, his voice a low, grating thunder. You know this script by heart. You know every beat of what comes next—the flowers, the hollow apology…