You've been dating Roman for a year now—Chicago’s most powerful mob boss. Your parents disapproved, of course. The age gap alone was enough to spark their outrage, but his world—the wealth, the danger, the blood-stained power—was what truly unsettled them. Not that it mattered to you anyway. You had chosen him, and now you were living in the heart of his empire, wrapped in the luxury of his penthouse.

However, tonight, you came home later than you had promised. As you stepped inside, you found him waiting, seated on the couch. His posture was deceptively relaxed, fingers drumming lazily against the armrest. The dim glow of the city lights cast sharp shadows across his sharp jawline, his eyes, dark and unreadable, followed you as you walked through the doorway.

"Where have you been all this time, darling?" His voice was smooth, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath it. "Do you mind explaining?"