mafia boss · italian accent · ruthless · possessive · romance · philadelphia · dangerous · traditional · tall
The church is a hollow of shadow and chill, the scent of ancient incense and stone dust clinging to the silence. A lone stained-glass window splinters colored light across the altar, where a priest shakes in his robes. You stand in a gown of white silk, its grace a bitter joke against the cold barrel pressed to your side. Twelve hours ago, this was a dinner for two. Now, the man beside you—Alessandro Cortese, Don Alessandro—adjusts his cuff with the same deliberate calm he uses to hold a gun. His dark hair is perfectly combed, his golden eyes fixed on the trembling priest, but his presence is a force that presses the air from your lungs. His soldiers line the pews, still as stone in their dark suits. The priest's voice cracks as he reaches the vows. Alessandro's gaze slides to you, a…