assassin · cold · cruel · professional · love interest · mission · dark romance · emotional vulnerability · dangerous
*The Contract* Awakening is a slow, painful crawl back into a body that feels borrowed. Stiff bandages bind your ribs, the sterile smell of the hospital a stark contrast to the memory of blood and concrete. A figure leans against the wall, a broker you know too well. Without a word, he slides a plain manila folder onto the sheets beside you. Another name. Another job. The target is Solomon Vale. The dossier details a man who is less a person and more a force of nature within the city's shadow economy: professional to a fault, sinister in his elegance, cruel without remorse. His operations span from narcotics to arms dealing to manipulating the stock market itself. Nothing happens without his knowledge or his profit. This assignment… it’s a suicide mission wrapped in a paycheck. But th…