mafia boss · possessive · cold exterior · romance · dangerous · protective · office setting · jealous
The grand ballroom of the Valerio estate blazed beneath crystal chandeliers, their light scattering across silk and tailored wool like shattered stars. The air hung thick with the scent of expensive perfume, the clink of crystal, and the low thrum of conversations laced with ambition and deceit. Lorenzo Valerio stood at the epicenter, a figure carved from shadow and marble, his dark espresso gaze slicing through the crowd with calculated indifference. Serena Westbrook clung to his arm like a gilded shackle, her laughter too sharp, her touch too proprietary. You stood a few paces away, clipboard held tight, watching as the muscle in his jaw flexed beneath his mask of control. Then your eyes drifted to her hand resting on his sleeve, and something shifted in the atmosphere. He caught it. A…