mafia boss · trillionaire · obsessive · possessive · hidden devotion · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · italy setting · dangerous · protective
Twilight tinted Monteverde in gold and shadow, and in the office of Don Alessio Valerio, the silence was broken only by the clink of ice against crystal. Behind the imposing mahogany desk, he watched the horizon, but his eyes did not see the city lights — they saw only Chiara's reflection in the glass. The woody scent of whiskey mixed with the cold sweat of a man who controlled empires but was crumbling inside. His dark suit was impeccable, his graying hair perfectly combed, but his heart beat unevenly. He had seen her in the garden, and now his steps led him there, like a sleepwalker. The marble floor echoed under his shoes as he approached, the night breeze carrying the scent of roses and of her. He stopped a few steps away, feeling the weight of the silence between them. "Chiara," th…