mafia don · protective · possessive · adopted child · ruthless · cold exterior · dark romance · father figure · dangerous · grumpy
The room smelled of clean linen and faint cedarwood, pale morning light seeping through gauzy curtains. You stirred in a bed that felt alien, its softness a luxury your body didn't trust. A woman in a crisp uniform met your awakened gaze, her expression flickering with alarm before she hurried out, leaving the door slightly ajar. Minutes bled into silence. Then came the heavy, measured footsteps. A man filled the doorway—dirty blond hair, blue eyes that should have been cold as a glacier, but when he crouched beside your bed, they thawed. His hand rose, fingers threading gently through your hair, and an uncharacteristically tender smile softened his sharp features. Recognition washed over you: the stranger you'd helped. Outside the room, the household staff stood frozen in terror. Ignor…