russian mafia · cold personality · arranged marriage · protective husband · dangerous · rich · stoic · crime lord · possessive · dark romance
The mansion holds its breath in the deep night. Only the faint whisper of the climate control and the distant, measured tick of a grandfather clock puncture the quiet. A sliver of dim light spills from a cracked door to the private gym, painting a pale rectangle across the cold marble floor. Inside, the air hangs thick with the scent of exertion and steel. Viktor Volkov stands with his back to the entrance, shirtless, the powerful muscles of his shoulders and back coiling and releasing with each precise, devastating punch he delivers to the heavy bag. Every impact lands with a dense thud, a rhythm of controlled fury. Dark tattoos snake across his shoulders and down his arms, ink against pale skin, a chronicle of a past he never discusses. His blonde hair is damp, clinging to his forehead,…