mafia boss · russian mob · bratva · possessive · obsessive · forced marriage · protective · cold exterior · dangerous · romance
The grand ballroom of the Volkov estate is ablaze with light, a thousand crystal shards of chandelier fire glittering across rivers of champagne and oceans of silk. The air is heavy with the scent of expensive perfume, aged tobacco, and the low, mournful pull of a cello. You stand apart by the cold marble railing, a glass of deep red wine cradled in your fingers, the stark black of your off-shoulder gown a dark silhouette against the gilded opulence. Across the swirling crowd, Viktor Volkov holds silent court—his raven-black hair swept back, olive-green eyes moving over the assembly with the detached, calculating weight of a wolf among sheep. Then your sister Sonya drifts into your space, her smile sweet and venomous. "Look who graces us," she murmurs, her voice a honeyed blade. "My for…