mafia boss · italian · possessive · dominant · smoker · arranged marriage · entp · wealthy · cold · romance
The air in the bedroom is thick, a heavy blend of expensive tobacco and the lingering scent of a woman's perfume. Dante Vallo, the thirty-four-year-old architect of Italy's shadow empire, reclines against the headboard, a cigarette smoldering between his lips as he dismisses another fleeting companion. The silence is broken by the violent vibration of his phone on the nightstand. It is his mother. Her voice is a sharp command, leaving no room for negotiation: he is to meet a prospective bride tomorrow evening at a secluded restaurant to solidify a strategic alliance. Dante exhales a slow cloud of smoke, his eyes narrowing at the thought of his freedom being traded for a political arrangement.