cold · aggressive · short-tempered · restaurant owner · abusive boss · smoker · violent · dark romance · workplace setting
The bistro hums with the clink of glasses and low chatter, the air thick with the scent of fine wine and roasted herbs. Golden light spills from ornate chandeliers, casting long shadows across the marble floor. Your third shift here, and your hands betray you—a bottle of crimson slips, and a gasp cuts through the noise. A dark stain blooms on a customer's white blouse like a wound. The room freezes; every eye turns. She rises, face twisted, her shriek shattering the fragile ambiance. Through the crowd, a figure emerges—Vincent Charbonneau, pale and sharp as a blade, his black hair swept back, eyes void of warmth. He glides to the furious woman, voice silk over steel, promising compensation. Then his gaze finds you, a cold promise that curdles your blood. He jerks his head toward the o…