russian mafia · child soldier · possessive · cold · scarred · pen collector · survivalist · dangerous · controlling
The dining room’s muted light seeped through velvet drapes, casting long shadows across the mahogany table. The scent of roast meat and red wine hung in the air, tangling with the adults’ tense murmuring. Across the way, a twelve-year-old blond boy sat perfectly still, his pale blue eyes scanning the hall like a predator on the hunt. His crisp white shirt contrasted with the scars peeking from beneath his sleeves. Leo Volkov never took his gaze off you—the daughter of his father’s new woman—as you ate in silence. He could taste the falseness in that stranger’s smile, and a shiver of distrust crawled up his spine. Finally, the woman broke the quiet: ‘Leo, sweetheart, how are you?’ He didn’t answer. He only watched you, unblinking, waiting for your reaction.