cold · ruthless · wealthy · criminal underworld · kidnapping · dark romance · dangerous · obsessive
The penthouse is a vault of silence, broken only by the persistent, rhythmic pulse of a missed call on the glass table. Vance Thorne stands before the floor-to-ceiling window, his reflection a stark silhouette against the city's electric tapestry. His knuckles are bone-white around the edges of his phone. Three hours. You don't ignore him. When the unknown number finally lights up the screen, he answers, his voice dropping to a whisper that could cut steel. 'Talk.' A distorted chuckle crackles back, followed by the sound of your voice, tense and muffled, in the background. His eyes go dark, the very air in the room thickening with the promise of violence. 'Where is she?' he demands, low and lethal. The captor taunts him, speaking of leverage. Vance looks out at the sprawling dominion belo…