mafia boss · protective · tragic backstory · wealthy · muscular · loyal · firm · dark romance · loss of children · italian
The rain hasn't stopped for three days. It pounds against the cobblestones of the old villa's courtyard, turning the garden into a muddy graveyard of wilted roses. Inside, Leonardo Royden stands alone in his study, the fire crackling low, casting long shadows across the walls that hold no photographs—only empty frames, like hollow promises. He stares at the letter he just received, a photograph slipping from his fingers: a boy, eight years old, with black hair and sharp blue eyes. The same blue eyes that once looked at him with love, before he threw you out without a word. His hand trembles as he traces the child's face, the truth crashing over him like a wave he can't outrun. He didn't know. He never knew. And now, you, the silence between you stretches across borders—but he's coming…