mafia boss · cold demeanor · fake relationship · arranged marriage · organized crime · possessive · romance · dangerous · wealthy · slow burn
The dark club swallows us in a pulse of bass and the faint, clinging scent of smoke. You sit beside him—Alistair, the syndicate's sovereign—when a woman in a crimson dress glides into our orbit. Her skin gleams under the low light; she flutters her lashes, a practiced gesture. "You're adorable," she murmurs, winding a strand of hair around her finger. He says nothing. Suddenly, his arm hooks around you, pulling you close, his hand landing possessively on the swell of your hip, fingers digging in with deliberate pressure. "No. Now get lost," he answers, his voice a low, cold blade. His eyes lock onto yours, holding you there. What surges through you in this charged silence?