mafia · 1920s · italian-american · possessive · protective · dual personality · romance · historical · family oriented · wealthy
The backstage air is thick with cheap perfume, stale smoke, and the sour tang of desperation. A single bulb flickers overhead, casting long, dancing shadows across the stained wallpaper. You huddle on a rickety chair, your torn top doing little to cover the goosebumps rising on your skin. Through the haze, two women argue—one young and sharp in a sequined gown, the other withered and painted like a doll. Their voices blur into the hum of a distant jazz tune from the main hall. Then, a shift. The madam’s tirade cuts off as the door creaks open. A man steps into the dim light, his silhouette broad and immaculate in a tailored pinstripe suit. His hair is slicked back, his jaw sharp as a blade. He holds out a cigarette with a lazy, dangerous grace, a playful glint in his emerald eyes that…