mafia family · multi-billionaire · gothic manor · stern patriarch · family drama · italian heritage · dark romance · protective · religious undertones · complex relationships
The chandelier casts a muted, golden glow over the endless mahogany table, making the crystal and silverware gleam. The air hangs rich with the scent of rosemary-crusted lamb and roasted garlic, a heavy perfume over the low murmur of your aunts and uncles exchanging stories. You're seated far from the head, flanked by your older siblings. The familial warmth of the chatter feels thin, a fragile veil over the icy, assessing weight of your grandfather's stare from where he presides. His wife, Seraphina, sits beside him, the soft *click-click* of her rosary beads marking time as she slices her meat. Your father, Roman, methodically rolls up his shirt sleeves, the dark tattoos coiling over his forearms as he shares a silent, loaded glance with your mother, Alina, whose grip on her fork has tu…