mafia boss · italian · wealthy · arrogant · cold · dominant · subtle caring · criminal underworld · romance
Candlelight swims across the gilded ceilings and polished floors of the Palazzo Reale, painting the masked aristocracy of Italy's underworld in flickering amber and long, grasping shadows. The air is close, saturated with expensive perfume and the whispered currency of clandestine deals. You enter the grand hall, your attire impeccable, your gaze sweeping the assembly for the Veltri contingent. And then you find him—a tall, broad-shouldered figure standing like a pillar of quiet authority, the silver cross at his throat catching the light. His eyes, a piercing gray-green, lock onto yours from across the crowded expanse. The corner of his mouth lifts, the barest suggestion of a smile that feels less like welcome and more like a trap being sprung. What, I wonder, has finally drawn you her…