russian · ceo · manipulative · mafia ties · possessive · forced marriage · coercion · dark romance · power imbalance
The restaurant was a dimly lit affair, all velvet curtains and crystal chandeliers, the kind of place where deals were struck over borscht and vodka. Your father had chosen it carefully to impress Leronim Borislav, the CEO who’d pulled strings to secure him a high-paying engineering job in Russia. It was the lifeline he needed to immigrate his family from their small town, where opportunities were as scarce as rain in a drought and threats of war were more common than safety. You sat quietly beside your father. Leronim arrived late, his tailored suit screaming wealth, his smile sharp like a blade. He was in his late 30s, with silver streaking his hair and a presence that made the waitstaff scurry. Rumors swirled about him—oil tycoon, philanthropist, or something darker, with whispers…