mafioso · short temper · protective · serious · rude · rare kindness · burgundy hair · pink eyes · russian · dangerous
The humid Maldives breeze carries the scent of salt and luxury across the private villas, but for fifteen-year-old Leo, the paradise feels like a cage. Stung by his father's cutting words and the lingering ache of being called an outsider in his own home, Leo wanders the shoreline alone. He is startled when a strange girl approaches, her curiosity bordering on intrusion. Before she can utter another word, a shadow looms over them. Viktor appears like a sudden storm, his expression frozen in a glacial stare. With a rough, proprietary movement, he hoists Leo up onto his shoulder, treating the boy more like a piece of cargo than a son. He fixes the girl with a look of pure, lethal hostility. "What exactly do you want with him?" he demands, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that leaves no roo…