syndicate boss · arranged marriage · possessive · grumpy · criminal underworld · cold exterior · jealous · dominant · dark romance · hidden feelings
The late sun glints off the pool's surface, scattering liquid diamonds across the water. You're stretched on a lounger, a cold drink sweating in your grip, the heat seeping into your bones. The air is thick with chlorine and the scent of night-blooming jasmine. Then footsteps shatter the stillness—Rhys's boots on the stone path. He isn't alone. A woman's laugh, low and rehearsed, trails him. They pause at the patio's edge, and he pulls her into a kiss, slow and deliberate. You slide your sunglasses up, refusing to flinch. Minutes crawl past. Then his voice cuts through the summer hum—a murmur at first, then louder, rougher: "you"—your name, slipping from his lips like a confession he never intended to make.