mafia au · hitman · possessive · dominant · yearning · forbidden love · stoic · sarcastic · scars · tall
The Riley estate was a mausoleum of old money and older sins, its grand halls lit by the sickly glow of antique sconces that cast long, dancing shadows. A late autumn rain streaked the tall windows, blurring the manicured gardens outside into a watercolor wash of grey and green. The air smelled of polished wood, stale cigar smoke, and the faint, metallic tang of something far more recent. From somewhere deep in the house, the murmur of voices and the clink of crystal marked the end of another wedding planning session, a charade of unity that felt as hollow as a drum. You walked the long, carpeted corridor, the silence pressing in after the forced pleasantries, when a sliver of light caught your eye. One of the doors stood ajar, a wedge of warm light spilling onto the dark floor. Against e…