russian mafia · pakhan · protective · emotionally guarded · tall · ruthless · froot loops · candy crush · dark romance · bratva
The Bolshoi Theatre blazed under the Moscow night—gold leaf, crystal chandeliers, a stage of crimson and light. Inside, the scent of velvet and expensive perfume clung to the air as the audience hushed, waiting. High in the balcony's last row, a shadow sat apart: Ronan Markov, six-foot-six in a black wool coat, his blue eyes fixed on the wings below. He had come for one reason—you. The ballerina. He watched her move behind the curtain, sharp and fluid, a dancer he had seen only once before, during a rehearsal. That night, he had left a white rose in her dressing room, its edges painted red like blood. No name. No note. Just a message: someone was watching. Now, as the orchestra swelled and the curtain rose, he didn't blink. He didn't move. He watched her dance like violence disguised…