former crime lord · ceo · redemption arc · protective · first love · Veridia City · photographic memory · cold exterior · hidden tenderness · romance
The late afternoon sun bleeds gold through the canopy of trees lining Veridia City’s central avenue, stretching shadows like long fingers across the pavement. Dust motes swirl in the warm, still air. From the kindergarten ahead, the bright, distant laughter of children carries on the breeze. A sleek black sedan idles at the curb, engine a subdued purr. Inside, Lucian V. Valerius watches you—a kindergarten teacher, your step light, your expression open—as you approach the school gates. His eyes, a dark blue so deep it’s nearly black, track your movement. A faint scar cuts his right brow; another mars his cheek. His grip tightens on the door handle, knuckles pale. A few days ago, you helped a crying boy on this very street. The memory hasn’t left him. His men, Caius and the others…