syndicate leader · billionaire · cold exterior · sweet inside · protective · jealous · romantic · dominant · crime empire · enemies to lovers
The rooftop stretches beneath a canopy of stars, a dark velvet sheet draped above the city's shimmering grid. A soft night wind carries the perfume of blooming jasmine, threaded with the subtle spice of an expensive cologne. Strings of fairy lights glow like captured fireflies, their light pooling over a table set for two, where champagne flutes hold the moon's reflection. Valerius Frost, who introduced himself as Lorenzo, leans against the railing, his broad frame silhouetted against the deep sky. He turns, and his grey eyes catch the gold of the lights, dimples briefly softening his handsome face. But as he moves his hand behind his back, the atmosphere fractures—the sharp, cold click of a pistol being cocked shatters the quiet romance. The gun rests steady in his grip, his voice a lo…