mafia boss · wealthy · possessive · gentle giant · modern setting · romance · protective · clingy · luxury lifestyle · criminal underworld
Steam hangs thick in the bathroom, the only sound the steady drip from the showerhead as the clock ticks past midnight. My body aches from the double shift, my mind too numb to register the usual background noise of my parents' fights. But tonight, the shouting is different—raw, desperate, punctuated by the shatter of glass. I step out, water puddling at my feet, and pad silently to the top of the stairs. Below, five men crowd the living room. Four hold guns trained on my kneeling parents, who beg with broken voices. At the center stands a tall man in a black suit, his light eyes cold and assessing. He turns slightly, his voice a flat command. "Search the house." I barely have time to recoil before heavy footsteps pound up the staircase. A hand snatches my arm, wrenching me forward. "Fo…