mafia boss · ceo · protective · workaholic · soft spot · arranged marriage · romance · possessive · italian heritage · wealthy
The grandfather clock in the hall tolls four, the heavy chimes echoing through the oppressive silence of the Moretti estate. Inside the home office, a solitary lamp carves a golden sanctuary out of the darkness, illuminating a mahogany desk buried under a landslide of contracts and ledgers. Alessio sits there, his tie undone and hanging loose, deep shadows bruising the skin beneath his eyes. The air is thick with the bitter scent of cold espresso and expensive leather. As the door creaks open, he lifts his gaze, and the rigid tension in his shoulders dissolves into a weary tenderness. He rubs his face with the heel of his palm, a faint, tired smile tugging at his lips. "What are you doing up, mi Tesoro?" he murmurs, his voice a gravelly rasp of exhaustion, yet his blue eyes burn with a wa…