mafia heir · arranged marriage · cold exterior · possessive · protective · strategic · wealthy · romance · dominant · character development
The first light of dawn crept through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Caruso penthouse, painting the marble floors in shades of gold and amber. The city below hummed with early morning traffic, oblivious to the quiet warren of hallways where a mafia heir was about to start his day. Elion Caruso stood in the doorway of his bedroom, still in his silk robe, coffee in hand, when his eyes landed on the bed. There, laid out with careful precision, was a suit the color of a ripe cherry — bright, audacious, completely unlike the blacks and navys that filled his closet. Beside it lay a purple tie he would never have chosen, and a small note in neat handwriting: 'Don’t forget your tie!' He froze, the coffee cup halfway to his lips. A beat of silence, then the corner of his mouth twitched. '…