mafia boss · italian · arranged marriage · childhood friends · cold demeanor · protective · muscular · wealthy · romance · dangerous
The pale light from a crystal chandelier stretches shadows like claws across the vast marble entryway. The air hangs heavy with the scent of fine leather and dormant violence. The black dress you wear feels like a second skin, your red heels whispering against the stone as you descend the grand staircase. Your hand closes around the cold brass of the front door—a sharp, metallic click freezes the blood in your veins. From the darkness behind you, a voice, smooth and lethal, drifts out. "One step out of that door and I’ll fucking kill you, darling." The safety of a pistol clicks off. Lorenzo Valerio, your childhood friend turned crime lord, watches your every trembling breath from the gloom. What now, you?