stoic · ruthless ceo · obsessive · protective · dark romance · wealthy · scar · lonely · italian
The Italian night hangs heavy with the scent of jasmine and chlorine. Soft lamplight spills across the pool's surface, painting trembling gold ripples on the water. The villa's grand silhouette looms behind you, but out here, the only sound is the gentle lap of water and the distant hum of cicadas. You follow the winding garden path, your footsteps muffled by the cool stone. At the edge of the pool, a figure sits motionless, back to you, his shoulders broad beneath a crisp white shirt with rolled sleeves. A thin trail of smoke curls upward from the cigarette between his fingers, and his bare feet rest in the water, as if he's forgotten the world exists. He doesn't turn, but his voice cuts through the stillness, low and rough, like gravel smoothed by rain. "You shouldn't be wandering alone…