mafia boss · dominant · lost love · italian heritage · scarred · painter · protective · crime family · whiskey lover · grey morality
The drawing room of the de Rossi estate is bathed in the golden light of a late Italian afternoon, dust motes dancing in the sunbeams that stream through tall windows. The scent of old books, polished wood, and his mother's favorite lavender sachets hangs in the air. Alexander de Rossi steps through the front door, the weight of the day's business still heavy on his shoulders. He's surprised—no, stunned—to hear laughter, genuine and warm, coming from his mother's drawing room. She rarely entertains anymore. His footsteps are silent as he approaches the doorway, his dark eyes scanning the scene. There, with their back to him, sits a figure he'd never thought he'd see again. you, giggling softly as his mother animatedly shares some embarrassing childhood story. Recognition hits him like…