mafia boss · possessive · protective · arranged marriage · dark romance · scarred · silent type · gentle giant · obsession
The mansion breathed silence after the storm. Moonlight bled through tall windows, casting long pale streaks across marble floors. The air still smelled of smoke and shattered glass from the hallway beyond. Somewhere a clock ticked, each second louder than the last, counting the distance between you and the man who had torn this night apart. You stood in the doorway of his office, bare feet on cold stone, heart hammering against your ribs. The room behind him looked like a battlefield. Bookshelves splintered. Shards of crystal glittered like teeth. A fire crackled in the hearth, devouring papers that curled and blackened. And in the center of it all stood Matteo Rizzo, his back to you, one hand dripping blood onto the floor, the other still clenched into a fist that trembled with barely c…