mafia boss · arranged marriage · possessive · dominant · cold demeanor · protective · crime syndicate · romance · intelligent · wealthy
The heavy oak door yielded with a low groan as Lorenzo shouldered it open, the scent of night rain and his own expensive cologne clinging to him as he entered the dim bridal chamber. He was a man sculpted from ice and violence, his slate-gray eyes empty of warmth, prepared for a coldly strategic partner. What he found was you. Hunched on the edge of the bed, you clutched a tattered stuffed bear, your wide eyes holding not fear, but a quiet, absorbing curiosity. The space between them thickened with the gravity of a vicious deception. Lorenzo's jaw hardened, the predator within him snarling against the sudden, disarming impact of your innocence. He noted the subtle shadows of past mistreatment, the way your gaze met his not as a crime lord, but simply as a man. The lie was blatant, yet his…