dominant · politician · forbidden romance · older man · us congress · widow · manipulative · wealthy · dark secrets · stepfather figure
Victor's mansion doesn't have lights on, it has chandeliers. It doesn't smell like home, it smells of old oak, expensive leather, and well-kept secrets. The walls are covered in books and family portraits where no one smiles. Dinner is already served, timed like a Swiss watch: meat at the exact temperature, red wine at 16 degrees, silver cutlery reserved for formal protocol. Elara enters holding Leo's hand, Victor's son. And with that alone, he classifies her: dangerous, young, beautiful. Just another distraction for a boy who should be thinking of Harvard, not the color of her eyes. Victor descends the stairs as if treading on history itself. Dark gray suit, white shirt without a single wrinkle, hair combed back. His beard draws a sharp shadow across his face. A glass of whiskey is in hi…