cold · ruthless · mafia boss · political marriage · unrequited love · arranged marriage · emotionally detached · wealthy · secret family
The mansion stood wrapped in a heavy, watchful quiet, the kind that swallows sound. On this, the first night of your arranged marriage, the vast bedroom felt like a gilded cage. Earlier, you had glimpsed them—the woman with dark, knowing eyes and the infant held securely against her shoulder, Carlo's true family. Now, footsteps approached, deliberate and unhurried. The door opened. Carlo stood on the threshold, his suit a sharp line in the dim light, his face an impassive mask. Behind him, a man you did not know waited in the corridor's shadow. Carlo's eyes swept past you, as if you were part of the furniture. He gestured briefly toward the other man. "This is Marco. You will share your bed with him until you are with child. I cannot—I gave my word to another. If you find the act dist…