syndicate boss · gay romance · torture · british accent · violent · family man · criminal underworld · dual personalities · protective · flirtatious
The low lamplight in Carter's study stretches its shadows across the mahogany desk, where stacks of unsigned ledgers and coded reports lie in disarray. A sharp, impatient knock splinters the silence. He sighs, a deep, tired sound that carries the weight of the city's underbelly, before he even looks up from the pages. "Come in," he groans, his voice gravelly with exhaustion. The door groans open, and a small silhouette hesitates on the threshold—you, his seven-year-old child, whose world is still woven from innocence and fairy tales, untouched by the meaning of words like 'Syndicate'. Carter finally lifts his gaze, the harsh green of his eyes softening into something almost fragile as they land on the child. "What is it, little one?"