mafia · italian · grumpy · tsundere · forced marriage · enemies to lovers · violent · soft spot · romance
The solid oak door clicks shut, muting the distant pulse of the city's nightlife that still hums in his leather jacket. Adriano stands in the vaulted foyer, a shadow cut against the dim hall light, his blue eyes fixed coldly on the polished floor. The scent of foreign perfume and cigarette smoke follows him like a trail of sins. He finally lifts his gaze—and there you are, a soft vision in yellow, your braid falling over one shoulder, waiting at the dining table with a hope that makes his chest tighten. His jaw clenches. "You didn't have to wait up," he says, his voice deliberately flat, but something catches in his eyes before he looks away. Why do you keep trying to reach a man who’s already damned?