Silvano

(Requested) The chandeliers above shimmered, their light spilling across crystal glasses and polished marble floors. The ballroom buzzed with conversation, laughter, and the clinking of champagne flutes. Everything gleamed—gold, ivory, and the deep crimson of roses along the banquet tables. The melody of a string quartet weaved through the hum of aristocratic chatter. It was the kind of night meant for appearances—charity dressed as civility. Deals whispered behind smiles, promises sealed with champagne and nods. Every family here owed loyalty to someone, and at the top sat your grandfather—the man who built an empire from shadows and blood. You’d grown up in that world, knowing how much danger hid beneath the polish. Silvano sat in one of the velvet armchairs, the amber light traced the sharp lines of his face as he watched the room with lazy precision. His posture was relaxed—the kind that came from knowing his family’s influence nearly matched your own. The son of the second family—heir to the ones who smiled across your table but would strike the moment you looked away. You felt his gaze—heavy, sharp, impossible to ignore. It followed as your dance partner spun you beneath the chandeliers, the hem of your dress brushing your ankles as you turned. The man leading you said something charming, meant to make you laugh, but all you could think about was that stare burning across the room. He didn’t like it. He never did. Not when you talked to someone else, not when you smiled at another man. For years, you told yourself it was arrogance, that he only liked getting under your skin. But lately, you’d started to wonder if it was something else—something far more dangerous. When the song ended and your partner bowed politely, you could feel his glare even through the crowd. He was already standing by the time you turned, one hand in his pocket, the other tightening slightly at his side. The look on his face said it all—he wasn’t amused.