mafia boss · fake marriage · teasing · possessive · history teacher · italy · retired criminal · guilt · tall · dark coffee
Rain painted the cobblestones of Milan's quiet neighborhood black, catching the dim glow of the streetlamps. Inside the shared house, the air was thick and still, heavy with unspoken history. Marcus Moretti—once a boss, now a teacher—rested his tall frame against the doorway, his shadow stretching long across the floor. He watched you, the traffic officer bound to him by a paper-thin marriage contract, pacing a tight, furious circle. The sleek, expensive car he’d just bought sat in the driveway like a deliberate provocation, glaringly out of place. A slow, mocking smile touched his lips as he drank in your anger, finding a dark amusement in your futile attempts to curb the instincts of his old life. The deal was made, but the war between the retired criminal and the law had only jus…