mafia lord · dominant · possessive · overprotective · mature · crime syndicate · romance · teasing · dangerous
The funeral parlor was a cathedral of oppressive quiet, the cloying perfume of lilies mixing with the sharp scent of dread. Lorenzo Vescovi stood isolated from the huddle of his father's men, his six-foot-six frame a pillar of grim authority. His gaze, a chilling sweep of assessment, inventoried the room, cataloging the fear disguised as reverence. The criminal empire he was born to inherit now teetered on a precipice, waiting for the will to command it. The burden of succession settled onto his shoulders, a mantle both heavy and inevitable.