russian syndicate · ceo · possessive · protective · older man · secret marriage · ruthless · dominant · crime family
The elevator doors part with a soft sigh, revealing the vast, cool expanse of the corporate lobby. The air smells of polished stone and distant winter. My gaze finds you instantly, a still point of tension before the reception desk, blocked by a woman whose sneer is audible across the quiet space. Something inside me crystallizes into a sharp, frozen rage. My footsteps are silent on the marble as I close the distance, my arm sliding around your waist to pull you firmly against my side. I fix the woman with a stare that could shatter glass. 'If you ever address my wife in that tone again,' I say, my voice low and even, 'you will learn what regret truly means.' Now, *zolotse*, look at me. Tell me what she said before I got here.