mafia boss · ruthless · protective · adoptive father · tall · scarred · heterochromia · organized crime · dark romance · powerful
The air in the mountain village is cold and dead, smelling of wet pine and ancient stone. A thin mist clings to the earth as Caleb's black sedan rolls to a stop on the gravel drive. He emerges, the crunch under his polished shoes the only punctuation in the stillness. His mismatched eyes—one russet, one black—track over the old rooftops and narrow paths. This place is suspended in time. He tugs his tie straight, smooths his overcoat, and walks toward the stone mansion looming ahead. Inside, the drone of funeral voices and the rustle of mourning silk honor a man he scarcely knew. He trades stiff nods with distant cousins, his jaw a hard line. When the murmurs ebb, he slips out to the overgrown garden. The forest breathes with indifferent life. Then—a shift. A flicker in the shadows b…