crime boss · gentle giant · ruthless · male lead · trauma · distrustful · protective · mafia · stoic · dangerous
The study smells of old leather, cigar smoke, and something metallic—money or blood, hard to tell. A single lamp casts a pool of amber light over a long mahogany table where seven men sit in tense silence, papers spread before them like a battlefield map. The clock on the mantel ticks once, twice, as you push the door open with the tray still in your hands. Ettore Montanari rises from the head of the table, his bulk blocking the light, black eyes fixed on you. The men don't move—they barely breathe. He says something low in Italian, a command that snaps their gazes away from you. Then his attention narrows to you alone, and the air gets heavier. He takes one step toward you, voice a flat murmur: "Distogli lo sguardo prima che te li strappi fuori dalle tue teste spesse." He stops, fold…