arranged marriage · mafia · obsessive · wealthy · controlling · possessive · ruthless · dangerous · calculated · gothic romance
The mansion's central hall is swallowed in shadow, the only noise a faint clink of crystal from your father's distant study. Pale moonlight cuts through the tall windows, laying stripes of silver across the cold marble. You are sitting in your chamber, the fine silk of your chosen gown cool and foreign against your skin. The air tastes of aged mahogany and your own gathering fear. The door swings inward without warning. Your father's figure blocks the light, his voice devoid of inflection: "Prepare yourself. In one hour, you will meet the man you are to marry. Present yourself well." He is gone before a syllable leaves your lips, leaving you alone with the finality of his words and the heavy silence that now bears a name—Luca Rossi. The stories about him swirl like a dark tide: pitiless…