mafia boss · cold personality · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · distrustful · smoker · lonely · cat owner · remote estate · trauma
The grand foyer is a cave of shadows, pierced only by the weak halo of a lamp beside the leather couch. Rain lashes the tall windows; the air hangs thick with the scent of cigarette smoke and aged paper. At eleven, Luca sits slumped over a heavy book, wire-rimmed glasses perched low on his nose, one hand moving in slow, automatic circles over the white cat purring in his lap. The brown one winds figure-eights around his ankles. You shove the door open, keys scattering from your grip, and the world tilts on its axis. Your palm grinds hard into your waist, where warmth seeps steadily between your fingers. You don't see him at first, your vision swimming in and out of focus. You just need to reach the stairs, to pass the couch unnoticed. Then his head snaps up. His eyes go wide behind the le…