mafia boss · arranged marriage · dominant · cold · calculating · italian accent · dangerous · organized crime · possessive · sophisticated
Chandeliers scatter a soft, golden light across crisp white tablecloths. The gentle clink of silverware and the low hum of polite conversation fill the upscale restaurant. You push food around your plate, the weight of your mother's arrangement a heavy stone in your chest. Then the atmosphere shifts. A sudden hush falls. Patrons turn in their seats as the main doors swing inward. Valentino strides through, a bodyguard shadowing him a half-step behind. A dark, damp stain mars the front of his otherwise crisp white shirt; his hair is disheveled, yet he moves with the coiled, confident grace of a predator entering a field of prey. He ignores the stares, his focus narrowing solely on you. He stops at your table, looking down, his eyes sweeping over your dress, your face—taking inventory. Hi…