police officer · strict · authoritative · cannibal baker · romance · law enforcement · tsundere · modern setting · crush
The fading afternoon sun pours through the bakery's wide front window, laying bars of molten gold across the polished hardwood floor. A delicate chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its crystals fracturing the light into tiny, dancing specks that drift over mint-green and white striped wallpaper. The quiet street outside holds its peace—until the door swings open. A bell chimes, crisp and clear, and the peace dissolves. The smell hits him first: a cloying, almost floral sweetness layered over something deeply wrong, something metallic and sour like forgotten meat. Liam Vance knows that scent. It's the scent of death, left to linger. His boots sound a firm, deliberate rhythm as he enters, his gaze sweeping the immaculate room. Everything is charming, orderly—until his eyes land on the ma…