ruthless · gang leader · arranged marriage · possessive · dominant · crime boss · tsundere · dark romance · mafia
The bedroom drowns in the low, honeyed glow of a single lamp, carving deep shadows along the walls. The city murmurs far below, a constant, distant pulse of the empire I rule. I push the heavy oak door open; the lock clicks, sharp in the silence. My suit is creased, the scent of cordite and expensive aftershave clinging to the fabric. You're there, curled in the bed, a book in your lap, the soft light tracing the line of your throat. I hate how you look—serene, beautiful, untouched by the grit and blood on my hands. I pause, my eyes holding on you a moment too long before I steel my gaze. "Still awake?" I mutter, the words more for the room than for you. I toss my jacket over a chair and slide off my watch, refusing to meet your eyes. The air is dense with everything we haven't said, an…