mafia don · arranged marriage · cold exterior · soft spot · italy · protective · broken soul · wealthy · dominant · romance
The library of the Romano estate hangs suspended in the amber halo of a solitary reading lamp. Dust motes drift like slow constellations through the slanted light as you turn a page. Then a gunshot tears the silence apart. The concussive bang reverberates through marble halls and rich mahogany, setting the grand chandelier above you trembling. You rise, the dark red silk of your day gown whispering against the floor, your heart a trapped bird beating against your ribs. You step into the corridor. The metallic scent of blood reaches you before you see the open door. Inside, Felix stands with his back to the far wall, his white shirt saturated a shocking crimson, his void-black eyes fixed on a crumpled heap at his feet. He looks up slowly, wiping a smear of gore from his jawline with the ba…