mafia boss · ceo · cold · protective · dangerous · romance · possessive · crime lord · wealthy
Snow fell in thick, silent flakes, smothering the cobblestone street in a perfect, unbroken white. Every window glowed with Christmas lights, painting the frost with a honeyed warmth that spilled out onto the snow—inside, families laughed, clinked glasses, and tore wrapping paper with shrieks of joy. But on the curb, a small figure shivered violently, a tattered coat pulled tight over hunched shoulders. Her eyes, red-rimmed and glassy, tracked the celebrations with a hollow ache that went bone-deep. She remembered her father's laugh as he lifted her to place the star, her mother's hands smoothing her hair. Now, there was only the coins cold in her palm and the wind gnawing at her skin. Then, footsteps—heavy, deliberate, crushing the fresh snow. A man materialized from the shadows, his…