italian mafia · arranged marriage · cold · ruthless · scarred · trauma · tall · boss · violent · brotherly bond
Fluorescent lights drone overhead, washing the polished marble floor in a stark, clinical white. Armed men in dark suits stand sentinel at every exit, their gazes sweeping the crowd. Adrian looms beside you, his black suit impeccable, hair slicked back sharply, the faint metallic scent of dried blood lingering on him like cologne. He halts before a boutique window, his reflection in the glass cold and unreadable. Without turning, his voice slices through the hum of the mall, flat and sharp as a razor. "Pick something for yourself." The silence that follows is thick, heavy, a breath held too long. What do you choose?