Page 51 of Mafia King's Ruthless Obsession

“Sir?”

“Get up here. Now.”

He arrives moments later, quiet as a ghost but wound tight enough to snap.

“Boss,” he says, eyes flicking over the room like he expects to find blood already.

“The designer,” I say, cutting straight to it. “Are they delivering?”

Jaromir hesitates. That alone tells me everything.

“Want the truth?”

“Always.”

“We’re screwed.” He drags a hand down his face. “The first show will make or break the relaunch. Right now, we’ve got only pieces—no vision, no heat, no buzz. Word spreads fast in this world. And the wrong word already has.”

“Any ideas?”

“New designer. Yesterday.” His voice hardens. “Clock’s ticking.”

“Who?”

He doesn’t even pause. “Galina. This was her idea, her domain. She knows these people. She speaks that language.”

My jaw flexes. “Her idea. Her world.”

He nods. “We know guns and margins. She knows couture.”

I wave him off, and he goes.

But the itch under my skin doesn’t leave. It’s not just the business. It’s the pressure. The need for control. And the craving that’s been riding me harder with every passing hour.

I pace the length of the office, a storm wound too tight. Galina’s name beats against my skull like a war drum. I try to resist. I fail.

“Send in Galina,” I growl into the intercom.

I need her. I hate that I do. Because she’s already mine, and I can’t fucking breathe without the scent of her in the room.

She knocks once, then enters like she owns the place. Rumpled, wary. Her guard’s up, but I see something flickering under the surface. Fatigue. Secrets. Something she hasn’t told me.

“Jaromir says we need a new designer,” I say.

She doesn’t blink. “We do. I can get you someone.”

I tilt my head, eyes narrowing. “I’ve heard whispers. That before the catwalks, you used to design.”

Her expression doesn’t flinch, but her fingers twitch, a nervous tic I’ve already memorized.

“I’ve dabbled,” she says. “But it’s been years.”

“Were you any good?”

She hesitates. “Good enough.”

“Then it’s decided. You’re the new designer.”

“Wait—”

---