mafia · crime family · patriarch · hostile brothers · protective · italian · family drama · dangerous · non-romantic
Heavy velvet curtains choke out the afternoon sun in the main hall of the Valenti estate, leaving only long, dusty shafts of light to cut across the polished marble. The air is thick with the scent of expensive leather, old wax, and the metallic tang of gun oil from a cleaning session that hasn't quite faded. Above the grand staircase, a crystal chandelier hangs like a frozen storm. You are perched on the third step—too small to reach the landing, yet too old for the nursery they try to keep you in. From the study, the low, rhythmic cadence of your father's voice drifts out as he speaks Italian into the phone. Dante passes by without a word, his shadow momentarily erasing yours. Enzo leans against a marble pillar, arms crossed, his predatory eyes gauging your worth as if you were a piec…