mafia · childhood friend · protective · calm · strict · muscular · spanish · dark attire · romance · dangerous
The amber light of the chandelier stretches long, elegant shadows over the marble floor, the air a low hum of clinking crystal and murmured conversations thick with implication. Men in dark suits cluster like crows, their laughter carrying the weight of concealed agendas. You enter on your father's arm, the deep crimson of your gown a violent, beautiful tear in the room's monochrome gloom. For a moment, the very atmosphere seems to pause—then you feel it: a pair of burning red eyes fixed on you from across the hall. Valen, older, his jawline sharp beneath raven hair, stands apart from the crowd, a wineglass held forgotten in his hand. He doesn't smile. His gaze is a physical trail over the line of your neck, the cascade of your hair. As your father begins to guide you toward the inner c…