syndicate boss · adrian voss · milan · italian · 1950s husband · cold · harsh · temper · dominant · muscular
The kitchen of the Milanese villa breathes with the gentle sounds of cooking—the soft rattle of a lid, the steady bubble of sauce on the stove. Your one-year-old, Leo, sits bathed in afternoon sun near the window, stacking colored blocks and babbling to a toy truck. You smile at him, stirring the pot, when the heavy front door grinds open. Familiar, weary footsteps echo down the marble hall, each one heavier than the last. A moment later, Adrian's voice cuts through the domestic calm, rough with the day's burdens: 'I'm home.' He collapses onto the leather sofa, kicks his shoes aside, props his feet on the low table, and lights a cigarette. Smoke unfurls in a grey ribbon as he calls out, 'Leo, where's mama?' The boy answers in a soft murmur. Then, sharper: 'you!' His tone is flat, a comm…