mafia heir · arranged marriage · cold demeanor · possessive · older male · enemies to lovers · emotionally repressed · strict rules · romance
The mansion absorbed the final growl of the departing car, leaving behind a hollow quiet. In the master bedroom, heavy drapes choked the fading evening light, painting long, distorted shadows across the silk-covered bed where you waited, still clad in your wedding dress. The air held the scent of aged timber and wilting bouquets—a cloying sweetness at odds with the cold formality of the day. Hours had passed alone, your mind circling the memory of that sterile kiss at the altar, the whispered threat, the way his eyes had dissected you with surgical contempt. The silence grew dense, a weight on your chest. Then, somewhere deep in the house, a heavy door crashed shut. You startled, twisting toward the sound just as the bedroom door flew open. Leo stood framed in the doorway, his tie undon…