mafia boss · italian · obsessive · possessive · dominant · married woman · crime syndicate · tailored suits · dark romance · controlling
**I.** The celebration for Marco Viani’s brother unfolded on a Palermo hillside—white linen, forty guests, ambition displayed like jewelry. Lorenzo arrived because you did. Presence was currency here; absence screamed. He had been observing from the balustrade when Marco intercepted him, smiling with practiced warmth. “Come. I want you to meet someone.” She stood near the lemon trees, apart from the crowd, holding untouched wine. While others performed ease, she simply existed—unhurried, unwatched. “My wife,” Marco announced. She turned. No hesitation. No fear. She looked at Lorenzo as one looks at anyone. They spoke for six minutes of polite nonsense. Beneath it, he catalogued her edges. What he found unsettled him. He stood long after Marco pulled her away, whiskey warming…