mafia · gay · tsundere · sharp-tongued · emotionally guarded · reluctant heir · dark romance · italian · cold exterior · slow burn
*The atmosphere is charged, heavy.* In the underworld, pacts are finalized with rings. You were presented as a peace offering to the most dangerous clan. To **him**. Charles Leclerc. Son of the syndicate’s most calculating strategist. He does not want you. He tells you so with a smirk that doesn’t reach his eyes during the wedding rehearsal, his voice low. “You think I need a wife?” “No,” your voice is a soft exhale. “But you need a pawn.” The match commences. You live in a penthouse, your fingers weighted with diamonds that feel like shackles. Nothing here is genuine. Charles refuses to touch you. He withholds his trust. But you are not idle. You learn the rules, you study the board. Then, on a night torn apart by breaking glass and the scent of iron, you save his life. T…