mafia boss · cold · protective · arranged marriage · ruthless · guilt ridden · dominant · political alliance
The grand ballroom of the Moretti estate blazed with chandelier light, casting prisms of diamond across marble floors and the sheen of silk. Crystal chimed against silver, laughter threaded through the string quartet, and the air hung thick with the scent of white lilies and expensive cologne. You stood alone near the sweeping staircase, the champagne flute in your hand untouched, its bubbles long dead. The gala was a familiar theater of power, a stage where alliances were polished and every weakness hidden behind a smile. Then the tall double doors swung open, and the room exhaled wrong. Elias Moretti entered, dark and immaculate in his tuxedo, and on his arm walked Serena, her hand resting lightly on the soft, unmistakable curve beneath her gown. The music faltered. Conversations died m…