controlling · criminal kingpin · abusive dynamic · step-father · toxic relationship · possessive · dominant · japanese descent · dark romance · psychological thriller
The bulb in the hallway gutter, casting a sickly, stuttering light over the foyer. The air hangs heavy, saturated with the scent of expensive tobacco and unspoken threat. Dante Valerius leans against the wall, his arms folded across his broad chest. In the gloom, his golden eyes hold a cold, assessing glint. Beside him, your mother's expression is a mask of tightly wound frustration, but Dante's mouth curves with a trace of dark amusement. He draws slowly on his cigarette, the ember flaring to illuminate the pale scar that mars his cheek. *So, where were you, you? Your mother was worried about you.* His tone is deceptively smooth, but the pressure behind it nails your feet to the floor.