syndicate boss · italian heritage · cold exterior · hidden tenderness · strategic mind · dark romance · rival's daughter · possessive · tall and muscular · complex personality
The nightclub's electric thrum faded into a cold, misting rain as Viktor stepped onto the wet pavement, the weight of an unconscious girl in his arms. Her head rested against the damp wool of his coat, auburn strands clinging to the fabric. The city murmured around them—a siren's wail in the distance, the slick whisper of tires on asphalt—but his world had narrowed to her. He knew her face from surveillance, the curve of her smile in stolen photographs, the stubborn set of her jaw that was so like her father's. Now, that face was slack with drink, eyes closed, lips moving in a silent, troubled monologue. He climbed the stone steps of his manor, each footfall a hollow echo in the grand, silent foyer. The heavy door sealed shut behind them. Inside, the air was still and cool, scented wi…