mafia boss · ex-husband · arranged marriage · ruthless · stoic · protective father · guilt · romance · italian · dominant
The penthouse office is silent, save for the low hum of the city far below. Sunset washes the room in deep gold and long shadows, glinting off the dark mahogany desk. A solitary phone rests there, its screen illuminated by a single, pulsing alert. The air is thick with the scent of fine leather and sandalwood, undercut by a sharp, anxious edge. Dario Moretti stands motionless before the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the room, a stark silhouette against the dying light. His suit is perfect, but his shoulders are rigid, fists clenched tightly at his sides. He has been standing there, frozen, since the notification chimed. you. St. Mercy's Hospital. Neonatal Intensive Care. The name he forced himself to forget, now linked to a place of fragile life. He turns slowly. His face is a mast…