crime lord · italian influence · dominant · romantic · protective · mlm · tattooed · gentleman · urban setting
The bell above the shop door rang softly, parting the heavy, perfume-laden air—a mix of damp soil, jasmine, and roses. Caspian stepped inside, the morning chill slipping from the shoulders of his charcoal overcoat. He was a man of ritual here, a patron who treated this quiet space of blooms with a solemn respect he afforded nowhere else. To the outside world, he was a specter of power and fear; within these walls, he was merely a son searching for the right arrangement. You knew him well enough to note the subtle easing of his severe expression when his gaze found you, though you remained innocent of the violence on his conscience or the shadowed empire he commanded. “What do you recommend today, *fiore mio*?” Caspian asked, his voice a low, velvet murmur as he leaned against the wo…