To save her family from financial ruin, Elena Romano is forced into an arranged marriage with the most feared man in New York's underworld-Luca Moretti, a ruthless mafia boss. What begins as a cold, loveless union soon transforms as Elena discovers...
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It wasn't sudden. The shift between Luca and me happened gradually like the way fire slowly caught after hours of tending the embers. The change wasn't one grand moment but rather a collection of small things—questions asked in the quiet, shared glances that lingered a second longer than before. Little by little, the hostility between us melted, replaced by something softer.
It was hard to ignore.
We started talking—real conversations, not just out of obligation. It was as though we were cautiously peeling back layers of each other. Luca asked me my favorite color one evening when we were sitting in the living room. It seemed like such an innocent question, but coming from him, it felt like a small step toward trust.
"Forest green," I had said, curling up on the couch. "It reminds me of nature. It's calming."
Luca's lips curved into a half-smile. "Of course, it would be something peaceful."
"And yours?" I asked, expecting him to brush it off, but he answered almost immediately.
"Black."
I laughed softly. "I could've guessed that."
Another night, when the mood was even quieter, he asked about my middle name. I told him it was Rosalia, after my mother. Then, unexpectedly, Luca shared his middle name too—Matteo. The name of his grandfather though the way his eyes darkened told me that there was more to that story than he was ready to share.
But the important thing was that he shared it with me. And that mattered.
* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *
A few days later, Luca caught me off guard. It was late afternoon, and I was sitting on the terrace, reading a book to distract myself from the storm of emotions that seemed to accompany our every interaction. Luca walked in, dressed in his usual dark suit, looking as composed and untouchable as ever.
"Elena," he said, his voice softer than usual, as if he was testing the waters.
I looked up from my book, curious.
"Would you like to go out with me?" he asked, his eyes locked on mine, his expression unreadable.
I blinked. "Out?"
He took a step closer. "Yes. Dinner. Somewhere nice."
I could feel my heartbeat quicken at the idea, though I wasn't entirely sure why. "Like... a date?" I asked, trying to hide how flustered I felt.
Luca's lips twitched into a small, knowing smirk. "Yes, a date. Just the two of us."
I stared at him, my mind racing. We hadn't exactly gone on a "date" before. The thought of it felt strange, exciting, and terrifying all at once. "I—yeah, okay. I'd like that."
A smile flickered across his face, brief but genuine, and for a moment, the Luca I'd always seen—the stoic, controlled mafia boss—seemed to vanish. For the first time, I saw a glimpse of something more.
