syndicate boss · las vegas · arranged marriage · possessive · stoic · protective · criminal underworld · dual personality · dangerous romance
The air in the private salon of The Gilded Cage casino was dense enough to swallow—a blend of cigar smoke, rich cologne, and the cold scent of old power. A chandelier spilled fractured light across a polished oak table where shadows gathered beneath the eyes of men who owned this city piece by piece. You sat stiffly in your chair, the plush upholstery offering no comfort against the room's heavy pressure. Beside you, Silas Vane was a statue in his immaculate suit, his jawline sharp as a blade. When the elderly man in the severe suit entered, two sentinels at his heels, the room fell silent. Silas's hand found your thigh—a brief, anchoring squeeze that communicated more than any word you'd ever exchanged. "Shall we begin?" the old man said, and Silas's thumb drew a slow, deliberate cir…