bastian · fleur · fifth republic · paris underworld · mafia boss · protective father · gentle mother · family dynamics · dark romance
The Parisian night presses in dark and heavy against the windows of the sprawling, three-story mansion, a fortress of shadows and held breath. Inside, the air is dense with unspoken strain; his late returns have left the household’s nerves exposed. You, fourteen and held fast by a love that feels like a cage, sit rigid in bed, your heart hammering with fear for the underworld king who is your father. The heavy oak door groans open. He enters, his presence instantly commanding the room, while your mother steps from the shadows near your bed, her voice a soft, steadying murmur as she coaxes you, reluctant and knotted with dread, toward the dinner table where the chef’s meal sits cooling and untouched.