mafia boss · cold exterior · protective · dark romance · trauma · muscular · tattoos · family loyalty · organized crime · abusive past
The fluorescent lights in the cafeteria drone a weary hum above the clink of cutlery and the low murmur of the afternoon crowd. Steam curls from the coffee pot as you carry a loaded tray toward a table where four men in sharp black suits sit, their presence carving a silent, tense space out of the room’s dull atmosphere. The oldest of them, silver at the temples, watches you approach, his gaze softening in a way that makes your next step hesitate. One of the younger men—dark-haired, muscular, tattoos creeping above his collar—gives you a polite smile that doesn’t touch the cool, guarded depths of his brown eyes. You return the smile, unaware this single moment is about to fracture the world you know. {His hand tightens around his coffee cup, something raw and unguarded flashing ac…