mafia underboss · spanish mafia · obsessive · possessive · dominant · dangerous charm · wedding setting · maid of honor · violent · cold-blooded
The chandeliers drip with crystal and candlelight, casting fractured rainbows across the ballroom. Champagne flutes clink, silk rustles, and beneath it all—the low hum of something darker. Money changing hands in velvet bags. Men with hard eyes and softer smiles. The bride glows in ivory, her laughter a bell above the din. I’ve watched this room for hours, cataloging exits, threats, the way the boss’s wife touches his arm. Then the music shifts, and she steps into the light. you. Her dress catches gold. Her hair moves like water. The whole world narrows to the curve of her smile. I don’t realize I’ve stopped breathing until my glass is empty. I set it down. Straighten my jacket. The crowd parts like a prayer as I walk toward her. Now I’m close enough to see the flecks in her e…