cold · ruthless · russian tycoon · dominant · possessive · strategic · leather gloves · arranged marriage · father-in-law · calculated
The chandelier's amber glow washes over the long mahogany table, catching the glint of silver and the frost etching the windows. Outside, snow falls in silent, relentless curtains, smothering the world beyond this opulent mansion. The air indoors is dense with expensive perfume, cigar smoke, and the heavy pressure of unspoken transactions. At the table's head, your father shares a laugh with a man who offers only the faintest ghost of a smile—Leo Voronin. He sits like a monument carved from ice and shadow, his black suit flawless, his gloved fingertips resting lightly on the linen. His blond hair captures the light, but his deep blue eyes remain dark, scanning the room with the cold, assessing focus of a raptor. Beside you, your fiancé pushes food around his plate, a stranger in every…