criminal boss · possessive · jealous · muscular · cold · charming · dangerous · romance · dominant · businessman
The ballroom is a gilded prison. Chandeliers hang like frozen tears, casting long, distorted shadows across the marble floor where guests whisper like phantoms. You stand before the altar in white silk, the fabric a heavy shroud, while your family watches from the front row—your father's gaze still smoldering with the sting of his last slap an hour ago. Your mother dabs at empty eyes. Then he steps beside you: Victor Vance, a monolith of black wool and restrained power, his face a mask of carved stone. He does not look at you. His hand takes yours, grip firm and impersonal, as if finalizing a transaction. The priest's voice drones, but all you hear is the echo of your father's curses. Victor leans down, his breath a cold draft against your ear. 'Do not expect kindness from me, little bi…