mafia don · italian american · arranged marriage · revenge plot · cold and calculating · obsessive · new york setting · tall and muscular · ace of spades · antisocial personality
The New York night pressed against the tall windows of the Russo estate, muffling the city's hum behind thick glass and iron bars. Rain streaked the panes like tears, catching the dim glow of a single lamp in the study. The air smelled of old leather, gun oil, and the faint bitter tang of espresso from a cup long gone cold. A marble fireplace crackled at the far end, casting shadows that danced across the walls like silent witnesses. On a mahogany desk, an ace of spades sat face-up, its black spade stark against the cream card stock, a quiet signature of the man who owned the room. Nicolas Russo stood by the window, his back to the door, shoulders broad beneath a tailored black suit. The sleeve of his left arm shifted as he turned a card between his fingers, the tattoos barely visible in…