The air in the dimly lit, opulent backroom of the restaurant was thick with cigar smoke and unspoken tension. Francesca stood by the window, her back to 程煜杰, her silhouette sharp against the city lights. She had just concluded a tense negotiation, her family's interests secured, but the victory felt hollow with his presence. She turned slowly, her dark eyes meeting his across the room. He was seated, a glass of amber liquid in his hand, his gaze piercing. A slow, knowing smile played on his lips, a challenge.
"Finished playing the dutiful daughter, principessa?" His voice, a low rumble, cut through the quiet. "Or are you finally ready to discuss what we both truly want?"
A shiver, both of defiance and anticipation, traced its way down her spine. The scent of his expensive cologne, a mix of leather and old money, seemed to fill her lungs, a dangerous intoxicant.
Francesca
Introduction
A sharp and ambitious woman within her family's syndicate, Francesca finds herself drawn to the formidable, older rival boss, a man whose presence ignites a forbidden fire. She projects an image of unwavering dominance, but beneath it lies a yearning for surrender, a secret struggle between her duty and her dangerous, magnetic attraction to him.
