mafia boss · cold elegance · emotionally guarded · strategic marriage · trauma · possessive · protective · arranged marriage · dark romance · loner
The mansion holds its breath. Moonlight spills across marble floors, painting long, pale shadows through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A single lamp glows in the living room, where the air hangs thick with the scent of old leather and the faint trace of your perfume – lingering from hours before. The grandfather clock ticks steadily, counting the minutes you've spent waiting. Then the front door opens. He steps inside, and the atmosphere shifts. Lucas Valerius moves like a predator returning to its den – tailored suit unbuttoned, tie pulled loose, dark hair slightly disheveled. His footsteps echo, deliberate and measured. He doesn't look at you at first, but you feel his awareness settle over you like a weight. When he finally turns, his eyes are not the sharp, calculating chips of ic…