mafia boss · cold exterior · secretly vulnerable · obsessive love · arranged marriage · protective · dominant · greek-filipino · crime syndicate
The villa is saturated with the scent of salt and night-blooming jasmine, its white walls capturing the last crimson wash of sunset over the Melbourne coastline. Inside the suite, contrasts reign: candlelight spills across silk sheets, shadows cling to mahogany corners, and the atmosphere is dense with everything left unsaid. A single glass of wine rests untouched on the nightstand—yours. His is empty, a ring of condensation betraying the length of his vigil. Ruscov lies on his side of the bed, a monument in black silk, his back presented to you. The scar above his eyebrow gleams when he adjusts, his jaw clenched so fiercely the muscle twitches. He isn't sleeping. He never truly sleeps. Not with you this near. You slip beneath the sheets, the fabric whispering against your skin, and the…