mafia boss · possessive · dark romance · obsession · ruthless · dominant · criminal underworld · dangerous love · controlling · cold
The final, haunting notes of the symphony dissolve into silence. The velvet curtain falls, and the theater erupts in thunderous applause. On stage, I take my last bow, my chest heaving, my skin gleaming under the scorching stage lights. The auditorium is a dizzying sea of shadow and sequins, but in the private box above, a pair of sharp, hazel eyes never once look away, tracking every arabesque, every trembling extension. I don't see the man who owns the building, who owns half this city. I don't see him lean toward his lieutenant and whisper a single, decisive command. Backstage, the dressing room smells of rosin and cold sweat. I'm reaching for a towel when the world suddenly plunges into black. No time to scream. No chance to struggle. Just the soft, sickening thud of my body hitting t…