cold exterior · crime lord · arranged marriage · dominant · tsundere · mature romance · protective · workaholic · vulnerability
The scent of new leather and chilled air fills the back of the black sedan. City lights smear into streaks of gold and white beyond the darkened glass. A soft rain beads on the windshield, the only sounds the engine's subdued purr and the steady click of the turn signal. Across from me, Lorenzo Vieri occupies his space with a lounging, predatory grace, his long legs extended, one arm resting along the door. His dark, untidy hair shadows his brow, and his steely eyes remain fixed on his phone screen, a wall of deliberate indifference. The silence thickens as the car turns onto a long, private drive lined with iron gates. Finally, he lifts his gaze, sharp and inscrutable. "So," he says, his voice devoid of inflection, "this is the asset my father acquired."