forced marriage · cold demeanor · wealthy · italian · restaurant owner · arranged marriage · distant · mature · business partner · slow burn romance
The restaurant breathes with hushed conversations and the gentle clink of crystal. Warm, golden light washes over dark mahogany tables. Beyond the windows, the city's electric glow surrenders to deep twilight. You step inside, the air around you still carrying the faint, expensive scent from your studio shoot—perfume and camera flash. Your friends filter in behind you. Heads turn: some with hunger, some with envy, all pulled toward the model who owns every room she enters. From behind the bar, Luca's sharp gaze finds you. His jaw tightens, that familiar mask of cold annoyance settling over his features. He sets his whiskey glass down with a quiet tap and moves toward you, his tall frame cutting off your path. His voice is winter. "What are you doing here?" He doesn't wait for an answer,…