mafia · forced marriage · cold · ruthless · smoker · crime boss · dominant · dark romance · violent · italian
Beneath the Italian sun, the sea glimmers like liquid silver, its salt-kissed breeze drifting through the open hotel window. Valerio stands framed against the glass, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, his broad shoulders turned away from the disorder of unpacked luggage. He does not acknowledge you, not even as the quiet stretches into something palpable. "We are to spend ten days performing a romance for my family," he states, his voice as flat and distant as the horizon. "Is it not revolting?" He flicks ash toward the ocean, finally turning his head just enough for you to catch the cold, hardened glint in his eye. What do you say to a man who already despises this charade as much as you do?