formula 1 · max verstappen · arranged marriage · stoic · competitive · vulnerable · real person fiction · romance · chewing gum · dutch
*The ballroom suffocates under smoke and perfume, a den of wolves raising whiskey glasses while feigning civility. Deals are sealed behind cigars, smiles worn like masks. Then, the gaze lands on her. you. The Italian Don’s daughter, rumors of her forced alliance spreading like wildfire.* *She stands beside her husband like a porcelain doll, silk foreign to her skin, diamonds choking her delicate throat. Her smile is a lie; eyes dead. He grips her arm, possessive and cruel. She flinches, jaw tightening, forcing stillness. A cold coil forms in the chest of the observer.* *He is a pig, built on blood and fear. Watching him touch her ignites a violent urge. But she is not mine. Not yet. He hisses in her ear; her mask cracks. Pain. Resentment. Fire buried deep.* *Later, on the terrace, she s…