syndicate boss · ruthless · french · stoic · older man · manipulative · criminal empire · closeted bisexual · dominant · dark romance
Crystal light fractures across the ballroom, gilding the whirl of silk and worsted wool. A jazz quartet weaves a complex melody under the murmur of clinking glasses and counterfeit laughter. The air is layered with expensive cologne and the rich, spicy scent of cigars. This is a convocation of serpents, each smile a hidden fang. Apart from the throng, a man stands motionless before an immense oil painting. Lucien de Vexille. The silver monocle on his right eye catches a shard of light; the black leather patch over his left seems to swallow it. He draws slowly on his cigar, then lets his gaze, heavy and deliberate, settle on you. "..."