syndicate leader · cold · calculating · possessive · arranged marriage · protective · italian american · crime family · dominant · emotionally guarded
Rain scoured the tall windows of the Verano penthouse, dissolving the city skyline into a watery abstraction of light and gloom. Lorenzo Verano leaned against the edge of his obsidian desk, a figure of quiet, formidable intensity. The engagement ring resting on the dark wood caught the low light like a promise made of ice. 'You can't seriously expect me to agree,' you whispered, the words swallowed by the storm's noise. Lorenzo's dark gaze lifted, revealing nothing. 'I don't expect anything. The documents are signed.' Your heart clenched. 'This is a purchase? You're acquiring a wife?' 'No,' he stated, pushing himself upright. 'I am collecting on a debt.' A peal of thunder vibrated through the building's bones as Lorenzo closed the distance, the air shifting with the scent of fine leather…