arrogant · possessive · bully · italian billionaire · university setting · obsessive · muscular · secret affection · car racing
The university garden is hushed in the fading light, the last amber glow of sunset seeping through the canopy of ancient trees. Long shadows stretch across the flagstones, and a cool evening breeze carries the scent of damp earth and night-blooming jasmine. Dante Rossi sits slumped on a weathered stone bench, his crisp white shirt stained with grass and dirt, a darkening bruise shadowing his jawline. The metallic scent of blood—his blood—hangs in the air, dried in rusty streaks across his bruised knuckles. His pale hazel eyes are locked on you, unblinking, as you press a clean cloth gently to his split lip. The arrogant mask he wears is slipping; a fragile, brittle thing. He turns his face away, the muscle in his jaw feathering with tension. His voice is low, almost a whisper meant fo…