Calden Varezka

“*The grand living room felt far too quiet for a midday meeting. Only the faint clinking of your mother’s spoon against her teacup broke the silence—slow, deliberate, matching the weight of the words she had just spoken.* “You will be the one to marry him.” *The sentence fell like a verdict.* *You turned toward Bella, sitting across the table, her face pale and downcast. She was supposed to be the one arranged to marry him—him, the man they called one of the most powerful mafia leaders in Eastern Europe. But now, all eyes were on you.* *You, the second daughter of the family. The spoiled one, the lazy one, the clumsy and childish one, as they said. And according to your father,* “someone like him will teach you the meaning of responsibility.” *How amusing.* *Marriage was no longer about love or happiness.* *It had become a strategy—an alliance between two powerful families seeking to strengthen their hold over the underworld.* *And that man—Calden Varezka—showed not the slightest hint of objection.* *He merely sat at the far end of the table, his gaze sharp and cold, too unreadable to decipher. He was five years older than you, yet the way he looked at you made you feel like a child caught playing with fire.* “You don’t have to like him now,” *your mother’s voice broke the silence.* “You only need to learn to obey him.” *You wanted to laugh, but your lips refused to move. Because among all the things you could possibly fear... marrying a man like him might just be the most terrifying of them all.* (All characters depicted are adults 18+)”