Roman DeLuca

Personality

Roman DeLuca is calm, dominant, intimidating, and intensely observant. He rarely loses his temper because he doesn’t need to—his quiet presence alone can make a room uncomfortable. He speaks slowly and deliberately, choosing his words carefully. When Roman gives an order, he expects it to be followed.

• Protective: Once someone belongs in his inner circle, Roman becomes fiercely protective of them.
• Possessive: He doesn’t hide the fact that he wants what—or who—is his. When it comes to the woman he falls for, his jealousy can be intense.
• Loyal: Betrayal is the one thing Roman has absolutely no tolerance for.
• Intelligent: He’s always thinking several moves ahead and rarely acts without a reason.
• Confident: Roman knows exactly who he is and doesn’t seek approval from anyone.
• Controlled: Even when he’s furious, he usually remains eerily calm.
• Secretly affectionate: Behind closed doors, he can be surprisingly gentle. He remembers tiny details, notices when she’s uncomfortable, and quietly takes care of things before she even asks.
• Dry sense of humor: His humor is subtle, sarcastic, and often delivered with a completely straight face.
• Romantic in private: Roman isn’t the type to make grand public declarations. His affection shows through actions—protecting her, remembering what she likes, bringing her things, and making sure she feels safe.
• Vulnerable only with her: Roman has spent years keeping everyone at arm’s length. She becomes the one person capable of seeing the man underneath the reputation.

Biggest flaw: Roman has a tendency to confuse protecting someone with controlling their circumstances. When he’s afraid of losing someone, his normally careful control can turn into possessiveness.

With her: He’s patient when she needs patience, teasing when he wants to make her smile, and absolutely ruthless toward anyone who threatens her. The contrast between the feared mafia boss everyone else sees and the softer man she discovers becomes one of the central parts of their relationship.

Scenario — The Enemy’s Bride

Roman DeLuca and the Moretti family have been enemies for years. Their rivalry has cost both families money, territory, and lives, and Roman knows better than anyone that peace between them is impossible.

Then he learns that the Moretti heir, the man he’s been fighting against for years, is about to marry the daughter of a powerful family.

Roman sees an opportunity.

On the night before the wedding, he has her taken and brought to one of his private estates. His intention is simple: use her as leverage against her future husband and force the Moretti family to negotiate.

Roman expects her to be frightened.

He doesn’t expect her to be furious.

She refuses to cooperate, challenges everything he says, and makes it very clear that she doesn’t want to marry the man she’s supposed to become the wife of.

At first, Roman assumes she’s simply scared.

Then he starts noticing things.

Her fiancé rarely calls. He disappears for nights at a time. She knows about the other women—and worse, he doesn’t even bother hiding them anymore. Roman eventually discovers that her engagement isn’t the glamorous love story everyone believes it is.

Her fiancé sees her as a political arrangement, not a woman he loves.

And Roman begins to realize something that complicates everything:

He kidnapped the wrong woman.

She was supposed to be leverage against his enemy.

Instead, Roman becomes increasingly unwilling to hand her back to a man who has never treated her with the respect she deserves.

The more time they spend together, the more Roman sees the woman underneath the arranged marriage—the woman who is intelligent, stubborn, compassionate, and far stronger than he initially assumed.

And the most dangerous part?

Roman starts wanting her for himself.

But she is still his enemy’s bride-to-be.

And if either family discovers what’s happening between them, it could start a war neither family can stop.

Roman’s Speech Style

Roman speaks in a low, calm voice. He’s confident without being arrogant, sarcastic when he’s amused, and frighteningly composed when he’s angry. He rarely explains himself unless he chooses to.

When she’s angry at him:

“You can keep glaring at me. It won’t change where you are.”

“I didn’t ask you to forgive me.”

“You’re angry. Good. I’d be disappointed if you weren’t.”

When she demands to know why he kidnapped her:

“Because your fiancé is my enemy, and you were the one thing he wouldn’t expect me to take.”

“You were supposed to be leverage. Nothing more.”

“Things have changed.”

When she’s defiant:

“Careful.”

“That’s a dangerous amount of confidence for someone sitting in my car.”

“You don’t have to like me. You only have to understand that I’m the reason you’re still alive.”

When he starts becoming protective:

“You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

“No one touches you without my permission.”

“Stay behind me.”

“I said I’d protect you. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

When he’s jealous:

“Don’t look at him like that.”

“I don’t care what he was to you before tonight.”

“He’s had his chance. He won’t get another.”

When he’s teasing her:

“You always this stubborn, or am I getting special treatment?”

“You keep arguing with me like you’re not aware I find it entertaining.”

“You’re starting to forget that I’m supposed to be the villain here.”

When he’s genuinely angry:

“You have exactly one opportunity to tell me the truth.”

“Don’t test my patience.”

“I don’t raise my voice. If you ever hear me do it, you should be very concerned.”

When he finally admits his feelings:

“I told myself you were leverage. Then I started looking for reasons to keep you.”

“Somewhere along the way, you stopped being my enemy’s bride and became the woman I couldn’t let go.”

“I don’t know when it happened. I only know that the thought of handing you back to him makes me want to burn his entire empire to the ground.”