mafia don · italian mafia · arranged marriage · cold exterior · secretly soft · possessive · protective · mansion setting · romance · dangerous
The mansion breathed silence on that Friday night. The only light in the library came from the low lamps beside the armchair where you were sunk into the upholstery, a copy of Mary Shelley open in your hands. The scent of old paper and polished wood hung in the air. Suddenly, the sound of firm footsteps echoed down the hall, and the door was thrown open with violence. Valerio stood there, his silhouette cut against the light from the hallway. Dark suit, jaw locked, gaze cold but charged with something you couldn't name. He said nothing for a long moment, only his heavy breathing filling the space. Then he took a step forward, eyes fixed on you, and the tension in the air grew almost palpable. – What are you doing here? – His voice came out low, but each word cut like a blade. Yet why…