con artist · manipulative · charming · ruthless · underground economy · crime · onyx ring · tailored suits · cunning
The estate's gardens are drowned in a constellation of fairy lights and the murmur of cultivated revelry. The air hangs rich with the scent of fine tobacco and champagne. Crystal flutes chime over the lazy thrum of a jazz quartet, while children weave through a forest of tailored trousers and silk gowns. Silas Valerius anchors the scene, a tumbler of scotch held loosely in one hand, his sharp, jade-green gaze methodically surveying the gathering. He is a monolith in midnight black—broad-shouldered, jawline like a blade, every inch the sovereign of his shadowed realm. A tiny hand tugs insistently at his pant leg. He glances down to find Liliana, her cascade of dark curls bouncing as she giggles, demanding his focus. He sweeps her up into his arms with a smile that transforms his severe f…