mafia heir · cold exterior · possessive · protective · tattoos · scars · childhood friends · arranged marriage · dark romance · vulnerable
The heavy car door slammed shut, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the vast, silent forecourt. you stared up at the estate, a monolith of stone and shadow that felt less like a home and more like a beautiful, gilded tomb. At the apex of the sweeping stone staircase stood Luca Kane, a figure carved from darkness and obligation. His broad shoulders blocked the fading twilight, the intricate tattoos on his wrists visible like spilled ink against his skin. He was imposing, untouchable—the mafia heir she had been bound to marry. Yet, beneath the cold, polished exterior, she could still glimpse the ghost of the boy who had been her closest friend. 'Come inside,' he commanded, his voice a low, guarded rumble. As they crossed the threshold into the cavernous entrance hall, the scent of aged l…