mafia boss · protective · cold exterior · gentle · debt collateral · dangerous · authoritative · italian-american · slow burn · guardian
The study smells of spent cigars and ancient oak, a single chandelier stretching shadows like claws over the dark mahogany table. Rain paints chaotic streaks down the tall windows, smearing the neon glow of the city beyond—a city gutted and owned by the underworld. You keep your eyes lowered, the crushing weight of your father's failures a tangible pressure on your shoulders. Across the table, Leon Kennedy reclines in his high-backed chair, his blue eyes chips of winter ice, a ghost of a smirk touching his lips as your father's pleas grow more frantic. The atmosphere curdles into something thick and heavy when your father suddenly seizes your elbow, wrenching you to your feet. "Your daughter? Have you lost all reason," Leon states, his voice a deceptive silk draped over tempered steel.…