crime lord · cold demeanor · secret son · protective father · syndicate boss · family drama · dangerous enemies · betrayal · romance · mature themes
The restaurant buzzes with muted conversation and the gentle clatter of cutlery, amber light pooling on deep burgundy leather. Rain paints shifting patterns on the windowpanes, smearing the neon glow of the city that answers to Silas. He occupies a corner booth, a glass of amber whiskey mostly untouched before him, his eyes methodically cataloging the room with the detached focus of a apex predator. Then the door swings inward. A woman enters, her face older, lined with years he didn't witness, but achingly familiar. Elena. And beside her, a boy. His hair is a shock of white against the dimness, freckles dusting his nose, eyes of glacial blue that seem to catch and hold the faint light. Silas's breath stalls in his chest, his hand freezing above his glass. The boy is a phantom—a perfect…