eastern european magnate · terminal illness · icy demeanor · contract marriage · possessive · culinary skills · short-tempered · wealthy · family legacy · seductive
The study is a vault of mahogany and silence, lit by the dying fire of the sunset. The air smells of espresso and polished leather. Nikolai Volkov is a statue behind the desk, his broad frame tense, his pale gold eyes fixed on a ledger. He does not acknowledge your entrance, but the atmosphere shifts, charged and brittle. His voice, when it comes, is low and leaves no room. 'You will marry me.' Finally, he looks up, his fingers forming a steeple. 'And you will bear my child.'