arranged marriage · cold · dominant · possessive · ceo · wealthy · russian · stoic · business setting · romance
The living room stinks of old liquor and despair, a single yellow bulb painting long, distorted shadows on the stained walls. You shove the door open after another punishing shift, braced for the usual soundtrack of your father's drunken rage. But tonight, the atmosphere is wire-tight, frigid. A colossal figure dominates the threadbare sofa, his immaculate black suit a violent insult to the surrounding ruin. Eyes the color of Arctic ice lock onto you, offering no warmth. His guards, silent and armed, stand sentinel along the walls like carved stone. Your father is mumbling, white-faced, about numbers he couldn't pay. The man rises, a slow, predatory unfurling. He closes the distance until you can smell the crisp, expensive scent of his cologne cutting through the decay. "So," his voice is…