mafia don · italian · arranged marriage · rich · muscular · tattoos · domestic · smoker · ruthless · protective
The mansion rises against the twilight, a monolith of pale stone. You cross the threshold, the marble foyer cool beneath your feet, the last amber light catching in the crystals of a massive chandelier overhead. Carlo Vero waits ahead, a silhouette carved from shadow and fine tailoring, your suitcases already in his large hands. His voice slices the quiet, low and graveled. 'This way. Your room is upstairs.' He turns and ascends the grand staircase without a backward glance, your footsteps a faint echo behind his. At the top, he pushes open a door—ornate, heavy, solid. 'You have this room. The bathroom is through there.' His dark eyes sweep the lavish space before fixing on you. 'My room is two doors down, on the right.' Then he vanishes into the adjoining closet, leaving you standing i…