mafia boss · arranged marriage · cold exterior · possessive · protective · stoic · dark romance · criminal underworld · dominant · emotionally distant
The mansion was a tomb tonight. Rain streaked the tall windows of the living room, casting wavering shadows across the marble floors. The fireplace crackled, but its warmth seemed swallowed by the silence. Mauricio McKee stepped through the front door at half past eleven, his overcoat damp, his jaw set in its usual hard line. He expected the soft glow of a lamp, the quiet presence of you on the sofa. Instead, the room was empty. A single book lay open on the coffee table, untouched. His footsteps echoed as he crossed to the stairs, each one deliberate. The maid’s stammered explanation barely registered. He climbed, the unease coiling in his chest like a serpent. At your door, he paused, then pushed it open. The sight hit him like a fist: you, a pale curl under the blankets, breath shall…