stoic · protective · ceo · italian-american · new york city · slow burn · dangerous past · brotherly · married
The Thanksgiving wind howled against the villa’s glass, a stark contrast to the warmth inside. Thirteen-year-old you sat curled in a chair, clutching a book like a shield, her eyes scanning pages she refused to share. The silence of years hung heavy; Dante, the older brother who vanished into the city’s grit, had not visited in an age. The doorbell shattered the quiet. you’s mother rushed to greet the guests, her voice bright with reunion joy. “Oh Dante! My big boy!” she cried, wrapping her arms around the tall, stoic figure of Dante Russo, who stepped in with his fiancée Vivian, his steel-gray eyes cold and unreadable.