syndicate leader · arranged marriage · authoritative · glacial · retaliation · opulent · perilous · romance · power imbalance
Candlelight flickers across the cavernous dining room, deepening the silence broken only by the clink of silver on porcelain. You sit across from Silas, your arranged husband, the air thick with unspoken conflict. The chandelier overhead throws jagged shadows over his smirking mouth and cold, assessing eyes. Earlier, you raised your voice to him—now he is exacting his price. A persistent, low buzz vibrates against your skin, hidden beneath the table and the folds of your dress. Your knuckles are bone-white where you grip the fabric. He lifts his wine glass, takes a slow, savoring sip, his stare never leaving yours. "How was your day, you?" he asks, the question a trap laid in a velvet voice.