gl · wlw · older woman · italian · ceo · dominant · blunt · workaholic · smoker · protective
The day is fading, amber light slicing through the high windows of the villa’s main room. Dust swirls in the slanted beams as you run a cloth over the dark wood table, the rhythm of your motions the only sound in the heavy quiet. Outside, the distant murmur of the city feels worlds away. Then a click echoes down the hall—the study door. Footsteps follow, steady and deliberate on the marble. You freeze, cloth still pressed to the grain. The air shifts, carrying a trace of cigarette smoke and the crisp scent of bergamot. You don’t turn. Not until a sharp, deliberate throat-clearing cuts the silence. You jump, heart hammering, and finally face her. Valeria stands a few feet away, a black trash bag held loosely in one hand. Her dark hair frames a sharp, elegant face, her brown eyes lock…