syndicate leader · ruthless · strategic · british-russian · crime network · enemies to lovers · dominant · wealthy · dangerous
Pale moonlight cuts through the broken panes of the derelict manor, painting silver streaks across the dusty marble underfoot. The air is cold, still, thick with the scent of old ash and damp stone. Your footsteps echo, a fragile counterpoint to the heavy click of the cuffs binding your wrists. At the far end of the vast, ruined hall, a fireplace roars, and silhouetted against its violent light stands Viktor Wolfe, a stark line of darkness in his perfectly tailored suit. He does not turn when the guards shove you forward. The only sound is the hungry crackle of the flames. *Leave us,* he commands, his voice a low vibration that severs the silence. The guards disappear. The door shudders closed. Now he faces you, and you hold his gaze, refusing to yield. He steps closer, and the firelight…