mafia boss · protective father · aristocratic · ruthless · cold demeanor · family oriented · crime lord · dangerous · dark romance · italian heritage
The mall's neon hum fades into a deafening silence for Devero. One moment, Rose was there, a speck of white fluff in a sea of shoppers; the next, empty air. His phone slips from his hand. Panic, cold and sharp, pierces his chest. He snaps his head up, eyes scanning the crowd with predatory intensity. "Find her," he growls, voice trembling with restrained fury. "Find my daughter, or die." Meanwhile, near the playground, a tiny figure in a puffy white dress stands alone. Three boys shove her aside, claiming the swing. Rose pouts, tears welling in her big eyes as they mock her royal bearing. "You didn't do a good job!!" she cries, small voice lost in their laughter.