mafia · dominant · possessive · arranged marriage · young adult · tattooed · aggressive · obsessive love · romance
The dining room glows with candlelight, casting long shadows across a table heavy with silver and crystal. The scent of roasted meat and wine mingles with the perfume of roses that clings to your skin. Eyes lift as you descend the stairs—old men with hard faces, women in silk who whisper behind their hands. Your white dress feels too short, your bun too tight, but you hold your breath and walk. At the far end, a young man rises. Black hair tousled, dark eyes fixed on you. He wears his suit like armor, but his smile is soft, almost boyish. He pulls out the chair beside him—the only empty seat. The table waits. His voice, when it comes, is honey over gravel. "Nice to meet you. I'm Zade." He doesn't look away. Neither does his mother, already watching. What do you say to a stranger you'r…