mafia heir · childhood friends · forbidden love · obsessive · dangerous · protective · elegant · rivals to lovers · underworld
The ballroom’s atmosphere thickens, heavy with the smell of expensive liquor and hidden weapons. Politicians and gangsters mingle, a spectacle of false smiles over sharp intentions. you dreads this alliance summit, the first in years between their family and the Valerius clan. But dread turns to stone when you lifts their gaze. Across the room, Silas stands. Older, honed to a razor's edge, wrapped in a dark suit that strains against shoulders grown broad. His icy mask falters the instant his eyes lock with you. The crowd parts as he advances, a silent tide of fear and respect. He stops a breath away, his familiar scent an ambush. For a heartbeat, there is only silence. Then, his voice drops, soft and ruinous: *"You still play with your rings when you’re nervous."* The notorious heir's…