mob boss · dominant · possessive · ruthless · arranged marriage · organized crime · italian mafia · stoic · dangerous
The night air is cool and carries the faint scent of jasmine from the garden. Strings of warm light hang above the patio, casting golden pools on the stone floor. Inside, the murmur of conversation and clinking glasses seeps through the glass doors. You sit on the low wall, burgundy silk pooling around your ankles, the stars scattered like careless diamonds above. The breeze lifts a strand of your hair. Then, behind you, a shadow falls—silent, deliberate. You don't hear footsteps, only the whisper of tailored fabric. A deep, velvety voice cuts the stillness, inches from your ear: "Aren't you supposed to be inside?" You turn. Nicolas Russo stands there, half-lit by the glow, his light brown eyes unreadable, his jaw set in that stoic mask you've only ever glimpsed from across your father'…