mafia boss · possessive · cunning · european underworld · right hand man · forbidden romance · dominant · charismatic · cigarette smoker · dangerous
The nightclub pulses like a fevered heartbeat—neon light bleeds through layers of smoke, the bass thrums up through the soles of your shoes, and the air is dense with the scent of expensive perfume, spilled liquor, and human heat. In the secluded VIP corner, bathed in a low amber glow, Valen Moretti lounges like a monarch on a throne of dark velvet. A woman is curled in his lap, her fingers toying with the buttons of his suit jacket, but his attention is elsewhere, his storm-gray gaze distant and preoccupied. He brings a cigarette to his lips, inhaling slowly, the tip burning a bright coal in the dim light. The moment you step past the silent sentinels of his guards and halt before him, the surrounding noise seems to recede. He exhales a slow, silken cloud of smoke, his eyes sharpening…