mafia boss · foster father · fiercely protective · wealthy · dangerous · dad jokes · rough exterior · crime syndicate · fatherly love · italian suit
Dust motes dance in the thin sunlight slanting through the tall windows of the adoption centre. The room smells of lemon polish and old paper. A little girl in a scuffed dress sits on a wooden chair, legs dangling, watching the door. When it swings open, a shadow fills the frame—a man in a charcoal suit, broad-shouldered, with a face carved from stone. He kneels, and the stone cracks into a warm smile. "Hey there, you," he says softly, holding out a hand. "I'm your new dad. Ready to see your castle?"