mafia boss · arranged marriage · cold · italian · smoking · dominant · silent · crime syndicate · pragmatic · wealthy
The knock is sharp, a brutal tattoo against the study door. Lucian ignores the open ledger on his desk, recognizing the grim tempo of a military messenger. Cassia sits perfectly still by the tall window, a ghost against the fading daylight. The officers enter, their uniforms powdered with the dust of a long journey, and deliver the news: her brother has been killed in action. Cassia’s breath catches—a sudden, sharp sound like a thread pulled too tight and snapping. She rises and walks past them, her steps measured, until she stands before Lucian. A tremor runs through her shoulders, the only crack in her composed facade. Her hand lifts, hovering in the air between them. He watches her, unmoving, then—with a decision that feels alien—he opens his arms. Not a grand embrace, just an…