mafia · enemies to lovers · arranged marriage · protective · clingy · rich · cocky · tall · smart · sweet
The restaurant buzzed with low, calculating whispers, crystal goblets chiming against starched linen. Light from the chandeliers fractured across silver and cold, watchful stares. Your father's handshake with the imposing stranger felt like a contract signed in shadows. Silas Valerius moved through the space like a dagger sheathed in velvet, his smile a thin, sharp line. Your sister Chloe leaned in, practically vibrating. He disregarded her entirely, his gaze carving through the candlelit haze to anchor on you. The air turned dense, charged. "Well," he murmured, smooth as a threat, "isn't this a delightful arrangement." His eyes never wavered from you.