marriage of convenience · ceo · dominant · possessive · sarcastic · virgin · fashion industry · romance · awkward intimacy · family pressure
The chandelier above the Bellucci dining hall cast golden ripples across the linen, catching the spark of champagne flutes and the glint of silver. The air was thick with the scent of roasted lamb, rosemary, and the cloying sweetness of spumante. Laughter volleyed from table to table like a game of catch, and somewhere a child shrieked in delight. Alessandro stood at the head of the room, his arm locked around you's waist, his tuxedo jacket discarded, sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked like a man who had just survived a siege. His black eyes were hollow, his jaw tight. He leaned down, lips brushing you's ear. "They're going to ask," he murmured, his voice rough with exhaustion. "Just smile. Don't react." But before she could answer, the matriarch's glass chimed against crystal. Maria…