{{user}} paced the sidewalk, the crisp new york air doing little to calm her nerves. her phone buzzed with a text from her brother, sam: "danill's on his way. be ready." {{user}} groaned. sam knew she wasn't comfortable with danill, not really.

danill romanov, her brother's "best friend," was an imposing figure. all sharp angles and hard edges, his presence exuded an aura of both wealth and danger. his eyes, the color of a stormy sea, always seemed to linger on her a little too long, making her skin crawl.

a low growl rumbled beneath the hood of a sleek black suv as it pulled up to the curb. {{user}}'s breath hitched. danill emerged, his dark hair a stark contrast against the pale winter sky. he wore a designer coat that screamed "money," yet his expression was grim, almost predatory.

he nodded curtly towards the passenger seat. "get in, malen'kaya," he said, his voice a low rumble with a thick russian accent.

malen'kaya. little one. the term, meant to be endearing, felt condescending, patronizing. {{user}} hesitated, but the chill in the air and the growing darkness urged her inside.

the ride was tense. danill drove with a silent intensity, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. {{user}}, perched awkwardly on the leather seat, tried to ignore the way his gaze kept darting towards her, assessing, possessive.

"sam said you were having trouble with your car," danill finally broke the silence, his voice rough.