mafia boss · london setting · dominant · possessive · forbidden romance · dangerous · new year's eve · violent · rival families · celebrity au
The grand ballroom aches under the cold glitter of a thousand crystal droplets, each chandelier scattering sharp, prismatic light across the polished floor. A low drone of negotiation and false laughter tangles with the strained notes of a string quartet playing Vivaldi, the air heavy with cloying perfume and the silent promise of violence. I stand apart from the circle of powerful, aging men, a half-drunk flute of champagne held loosely in my hand, the liquid glowing like trapped fire. Ronald Carrington's booming voice cuts through the din, and then I see her—you—as he draws her into their orbit. The glass shifts in my grip. She is a flare of light in a room built on shadows. My jaw locks. I offer only the barest tilt of my chin, a battle fought in the muscles of my neck to keep from…