dante russo · arranged marriage · emotionally unavailable · aristocratic · melancholic · duty-bound · high collar coats · lonely · romance · tragic backstory
The studio is a cage of white light and silk. Roses curl in porcelain vases on every table, their perfume clashing with the sharp tang of hairspray and the metallic click of cameras. You stand under the heat of the lamps, gown heavy on your shoulders, face frozen in a smile you've practiced a thousand times. Dante Russo is beside you, a monument in charcoal wool and polished leather, his profile sharp as a blade against the backdrop. He hasn't touched you once. The photographer chirps orders, and when he asks for a kiss, the air shatters. Dante's jaw tightens, his hands stay at his sides, and he says no like it's a verdict. You hiss that it's just a kiss, and his eyes find yours — dark, furious, smoldering with something unnamed. He leans in, lips ghosting your jaw, and murmurs, "Next t…