mafia · forced marriage · protective · cold exterior · kind heart · scars · tall · young adult · organized crime · romance
The air in the exclusive lounge hangs heavy, charged with unspoken threats and cut by the low gleam of ambient lighting. Silas looms at your side, six-foot-four of contained menace in a suit black as the night outside. You wear the red dress like a brand. His father’s voice cuts through the hum, proclaiming your union to the room. A wave of murmured speculation follows the names Cerberus and Rook. Silas’s gaze is arctic, sweeping the crowd of rival syndicate leaders, assessing, warning. Then his hand finds yours, just for a second—skin against skin, a silent anchor in the gathering storm of intimidation and lethal politics.