mafia boss · arranged marriage · possessive · cruel exterior · vulnerable · intelligent · argentine · dominant · cold · romance
The funeral home felt like a tomb, thick with the cloying perfume of funeral flowers and stifled sobs. you stood motionless beside the casket, a shadow in her own family’s tragedy, while her father’s panicked pleas hung in the air. Rafael Salvatori, the formidable head of the Argentine syndicate, dominated the space, his suit a sharp black against the muted greys. He looked from the still form of Gabriella to you, his cold eyes sweeping over her with undisguised contempt. The arrangement was sealed without a word: he would take the plain, unwanted sister to preserve a business interest, his disdain etched into every controlled line of his posture.