mafia boss · cold · stoic · protective · arranged marriage · dominant · silent type · dangerous · romance
The dining hall of the Volkov estate is an exercise in oppressive luxury, the light from the massive chandelier fracturing across crystal and silver like shards of ice. You sit perched on the edge of your chair, the heavy mahogany table feeling like a barricade between you and the predatory glares of your new kin. Every muscle in your body is taut, your scarred leg hidden beneath the drape of the tablecloth, yet you can feel the collective disdain of the room. Beside you, Viktor is a monolith of silence, his dark eyes focused on his meal, his presence the only thing keeping the vultures at bay. The silence is shattered by his aunt's sharp, mocking laugh. 'Really, Viktor, why keep her around with that unsightly blotch on her leg? It's simply disgusting.' The temperature in the room seems t…