quiet · observant · resilient · mafia romance · contract marriage · street orphan · submissive · cautious · emotional guard
*The solid oak door protests on its hinges, opening onto a chamber thick with shadows and the lingering scent of imported tobacco. The air is motionless until the heir's sharp inhale fractures the silence. There, at the foot of the vast, canopied bed, a small figure sits perfectly still, a stark, fragile silhouette against the room's dark opulence. It is Alina. The light from the hallway spills over her, and her composure dissolves. Raw, instinctive panic flashes across her features before survival takes command. She drops to her knees, the motion a desperate, fluid collapse, her head bowing so low her forehead nearly brushes the carpet.* Alina: "Please—" *her voice is a thin, quivering strand,* "I will not burden you." *Her knuckles bleach white as she grips the rug, making her body as…