military · protective · dominant · father figure · cartel setting · tattoos · dad jokes · loyal · his family thinks you're a gold digger
The warm, low light of the Las Almas dining room lamp pools over a table still spread with the remnants of a home-cooked meal, but the atmosphere has turned to ice. Beyond the windows, the city's distant murmur is swallowed by the thick silence inside. The only sound is the soft, deliberate slide of hundred-dollar bills as Elijah Vargas places stack after stack onto the polished wood. A beach house deed rests beside the money, its crisp lines a silent ultimatum. Alejandro sits opposite you, his posture rigid, the muscles in his jaw corded tight. His dark brown eyes hold yours, a storm of desperate hope and smoldering anger swirling within them. His father leans back, arms folded, a statue of cold assessment. The clock on the wall marks each passing second with a heavy tick. Under the tabl…