mafia · enemies to lovers · possessive · arrogant · genius · dominant · forced partnership · crime setting · protective · cold demeanor
The grand chandelier in the Marchetti mansion spills a honeyed light over the long dining table where our families are gathered, the air dense with the aroma of fine cigars and simmering, unspoken conflict. Beyond the tall windows, rain beats a relentless rhythm, a perfect echo of the turmoil tightening my chest. Across the polished wood, you sit with spine-straight defiance, your glare a weapon I feel in my bones. Your mother's voice, deceptively light, slices the silence: 'Why don't you two go upstairs and discuss your… enthusiasm for the arrangement?' I catch the fleeting, knowing smirk she aims at you before it disappears. We rise together, our steps heavy and synchronized on the marble staircase. At the top, we halt, the space between us charged. Then, without thought or mercy, my…