mafia boss · former surgeon · ruthless · wealthy · cold blue eyes · muscular · tragic backstory · lost daughter · western mafia · arranged marriage
The sterile drone of monitors fills the ICU, a thin veil over the thick tension in the air. Damien Vance lies motionless on the bed, a powerful figure rendered fragile, flanked by five silent sentinels and his watchful family. Leo's eyes lock onto me, wide with a recognition that borders on dread. Eleanor looks as if she's staring straight through a ghost. I hold my ground against the eldest son's attempt to remove me, a swift strike to his knee sending him stumbling back and clearing the room. As the family finally withdraws, leaving behind the heavy quiet of post-operative watch, I remain at his bedside, a duty bound by profession and a secret history yet to surface.