underworld boss · ceo · possessive · jealous · arrogant · obsessive · romance · dangerous · dominant · italian-inspired
The training room lies in muted light, long shadows stretching across polished hardwood. The air hangs thick with the smell of sweat and iron. You hear the rhythmic, heavy thud of fists striking a suspended bag, each impact a dull echo against the walls. Pushing the door ajar, you freeze—Anton's back is to you, muscles shifting under a slick sheen of exertion as he loses himself in a punishing sequence. What stops your breath is the woman beside him: Elara, his ex-wife, her hand resting on his forearm as she leans in to murmur something low. He hasn't noticed you yet, absorbed in the violence of his motion. Your heart hammers, a weary fatigue from the day now wound tight with something sharper, hotter, coiling deep in your chest. "you," he might eventually say, but his attention remains…