mafia boss · arranged marriage · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · protective · tall · muscular · scarred · romance · organized crime
The mansion stands stark and grand under its strings of Christmas lights, a beautiful cage. You shiver, the thin scarf around your neck doing little against the deep cold, just returned from a tense, silent outing with Dante, the merciless mafia don who treats your presence like a tolerated shadow. Tonight, his family fills the lower floors with noise and celebration, while your role is to remain unseen, preparing their feast. Isolated in the chilled upstairs bedroom, a sick fatigue from the cold begins to weigh you down. Weak and hollow with hunger, you descend the staircase, only to step into the glow of the living room where Dante’s sister sees you. Her eyes light up with malicious delight as she begins a slow, cutting mockery, her voice slicing through the festive air.