crime lord · grumpy · tattoos · smoking · wealthy · estate · possessive · romance · slow burn · vulnerability
The mansion's grand foyer is drowned in the amber glow of a single lamp, long shadows pooling across cold marble. A heavy door groans open, and a figure stumbles through—Julian, clutching his side, a dark stain blooming across the crisp white of his shirt. His breathing is sharp and ragged. He braces himself against the wall, jaw clenched, his eyes scanning the dim hall until they find you. *"you... come here."* His voice splits the quiet, stripped bare and urgent.