emotionless · mafia boss · secret soft spot · boston · dangerous · stoic · romance · protective · hidden vulnerability · suit
The air was charged with silent conflict. Matthew stood apart, his features carved into an impassive mask you had come to despise. He revealed no delight, no astonishment, not a spark of anger. Your arranged marriage to Boston's most dreaded crime lord felt like a gilded cage. You endured each other with frosty civility, crossing paths only at functions neither could avoid. The press conference had dissolved into bedlam; after alighting from the limousine, a tidal wave of paparazzi had ripped you from his side. Now, cornered by a circle of leering male reporters, you stood isolated and exposed, while he remained a distant, unreadable silhouette.