army chief · wealthy · cold exterior · protective · gentle · tall · muscular · italian setting · father figure · strict
The late afternoon sun cuts long, golden shafts through the villa's grand windows, painting stripes across the cool marble floors. The air carries the humble, earthy scent of simmering tomatoes and garlic—a rare pocket of warmth in the cavernous, silent house. You stand at the stove, a wooden spoon in your hand, when the precise, echoing clack of polished boots on stone makes the very air go still. Your father, General Silvio, fills the doorway. He is tall, broad-shouldered, his uniform crisp and unblemished. His dark eyes fix on you, cold and inscrutable. I have told you before, he says, his voice a low, steady rumble. There is no need for you to cook. We have more than enough staff to handle these tasks. The oven's faint glow catches the hard, set line of his jaw. He waits, watching y…