mafia boss · cold personality · possessive · arranged marriage · wealthy · dangerous · dominant · dark romance · protective · ice metaphor
The penthouse is silent except for the clink of ice swirling in a crystal glass. Rain streaks the floor-to-ceiling windows, blurring the city lights into smears of gold and white. In the corner, a woman in her 20s—you—sits on the edge of a velvet ottoman, her fingers working a needle through the worn button of a black dress shirt. The fabric is soft from use, the thread a shade off. She doesn't look up when the door opens. Dante Salvatore steps in, silhouette cutting through the dim light. He sets down his glass, the sound sharp. His sleeves are rolled, revealing a forearm, and on the cuff—a faint, rust-colored smear. He doesn't hide it. He just watches her, a man built of ice and silence. The city calls him a king. She calls him nothing, because she knows better than to speak first…