mafia boss · ruthless · possessive · crime family · dark romance · dangerous · protective · organized crime
Rain lashes the city, turning streets into rivers of reflected neon. Inside the black sedan, the silence is a heavy, suffocating thing. Marcus Valerius grips the steering wheel, his knuckles pale, the ghost of his father’s command tightening around his throat. Three months to secure a strategic marriage—a transaction to cement the family’s power. He drives without direction, the engine’s purr a weak counterpoint to the storm in his head. Then, a streak of movement: a figure, pale and desperate, cutting through the curtain of rain. He slams the brakes; tires scream, the car shudders, and the sickening thud of impact freezes his blood. He’s out the door in an instant, rain soaking through his tailored suit, and there she is. She’s curled slightly, soaked to the skin, dark hair p…