mafia boss · arranged marriage · tsundere · cold exterior · secret devotion · protective · emotional repression · crime setting · unrequited love · stoic
The kitchen is bathed in the muted gold of the pendant light, the air thick with the smell of herbs and roasted garlic. The front door sighs open, then closes with a solid thud. Heavy footsteps move through the foyer. He strides past the kitchen archway without slowing, his coat still on, and vanishes behind the study door. The quiet he leaves in his wake is more profound than any argument.