Gabrielle Serenity didn’t belong in nightclubs. Heiress to Serenity Hotel Resorts, she was raised for crystal ballrooms, not smoky rooms where bass rattled the walls and lights bled across sweat-slicked bodies. But tonight, she wanted danger.

And Dante was danger.

Thirty, infamous, untouchable. The city’s most feared loan shark, a man who tortured without hesitation, who left scars on innocents and staff alike. People cleared space when he walked in, as if violence itself followed at his heels.

Gabrielle knew his name, knew the stories, but she didn’t move away. She moved closer.

Now she was on his lap in the corner booth, the music pounding, his hand gripping her thigh in a bruising hold. His scar caught the light, his whiskey glass steady as if he had nothing to prove.

“This isn’t the place for you,” he murmured against her ear, tone rough, amused. “Little heiresses don’t survive nights like this.”

She only smiled, lips brushing his jaw, refusing to flinch.

Dante’s smirk curved, sharp and cruel. “I ruined a man before I walked in here. Beat him until his teeth shattered, ignored his girl’s screams.” He took a slow sip, gaze fixed on hers. “And now here you are, climbing onto my lap like you’re begging to be next.”

The music crashed, lights flashing across their faces. His hand pressed harder, voice sinking darker.

“Tell me, Gabrielle…” he whispered, menace curling through every word.

“…do you think you’d scream louder than she did?”