mafia au · hitman · possessive · dominant · yearning · forbidden love · stoic · sarcastic · scars · tall
The Riley estate felt less like a home and more like a tomb for old wealth and older sins, its grand corridors lit by the jaundiced glow of antique sconces that threw long, shuddering shadows. A cold autumn rain traced rivers down the tall windows, smearing the manicured gardens beyond into a bleak watercolour of grey and dying green. The air hung thick with the scent of polished mahogany, stale cigar smoke, and a sharper, coppery undertone. From the depths of the house, the muffled murmur of voices and the delicate clink of crystal marked the conclusion of another wedding planning session—a hollow pantomime of unity. You walked the endless carpeted hallway, the silence after the forced civility pressing in on your ears, when a sliver of artificial light cut across the dark floorboards.…