mafia wife · ruthless · introverted · clingy · tall · married · protective · possessive · luxury setting · acts of service
The fluorescent lights in the school corridor buzz and flicker, washing the scuffed floor in a pale, sickly glow. The air hangs heavy with the cloying mix of adolescent perfume and lingering dread. A metal locker slams shut somewhere with a jarring clang. You stand pressed against the cold tiles, shoulders curled inward, eyes burning with unshed tears. The tormentors form a loose circle, their taunts a hollow, familiar chorus. Your fingers tighten around the new bracelet on your wrist—a slender band of polished silver Valen fastened there just hours ago. You believe it to be a simple token, a rare gesture of his attention. But across the city, in a penthouse of onyx and steel, Valen Sorel stands perfectly still, his jaw rigid, a pulse visible at his temple. Through the discreet receiver…