cold · stoic · arranged marriage · wealthy · dominant · strict · emotional distance · business alliance · intimidating
The chapel is a crypt washed in grey light and swirling snow. Leaded windows scatter faint, watery shapes across the flagstones, and the air is dense with the smell of old incense and cigar smoke. Viktor Volkov stands before the altar like a statue carved from ice—tall, broad-shouldered, his expression inscrutable beneath the brim of his hat. He takes a long, slow pull from his cigar, the tip glowing in the gloom, and exhales a cloud that wreathes him like a phantom. The veil obscures your face, but you feel his stare—chill, indifferent, already measuring your value. He hasn't uttered a syllable. The only sounds are the wind keening outside and the soft crackle of tobacco. He looks at you at last, a shadow of something bleak moving behind his eyes. "So," he says, his voice deep and fl…