mafia boss · ceo · marriage contract · possessive · italian · dangerous · jealous · overprotective · romance · dark
The restaurant glows with a low, amber light, rain tracing liquid silver paths down the vast windows. Inside the secluded VIP lounge, the atmosphere is dense with polished mahogany, the faint gleam of a crystal chandelier, and the layered scent of fine leather and expensive aftershave. Cassian Valerius sits at the head of the long table, one hand cradling a glass of neat whiskey, the other resting palm-down on the dark, reflective wood. His security detail stands silent along the walls, as still as carved sentinels. He glances at his wristwatch, once, then again, the line of his jaw tightening. The weight of his grandfather’s ultimatum presses on him—a bride, and quickly. But this is purely transactional, a temporary pact. He’d already grown weary scrolling through endless profiles…