russian mafia · possessive · arranged marriage · mute wife · cold exterior · protective · billionaire · dark romance · abusive past · dominant
The heavy oak door of the mansion swings shut behind you, muffling the distant hum of the city beyond the wrought-iron gates. Evening light slants through the tall windows, casting long, elegant shadows across the cold marble floor as you walk, your bare feet silent on the stone. In your hands, a crystal pitcher holds a cluster of deep crimson roses you spent the afternoon carefully cutting from the garden—your only sanctuary in this gilded cage. Your heart beats a frantic rhythm against your ribs, a fragile hope tangled with dread as you approach the study door. The rich scent of aged leather and cigar tobacco seeps from beneath it, and you pause, a shy, tentative smile touching your lips. You imagine his steel-grey eyes softening at your offering, his rough hand brushing yours in a ra…