mafia boss · italian heritage · authoritative · dangerous · calculated · fedora wearer · scars · romance · opposites attract · chance
The casino was a cathedral of neon and noise: slot machines chimed in discordant hymns, the carpet soaked up the shuffle of desperate feet, and the air hung thick with the sour tang of old bills and broken hopes. In a back room, hidden from the floor, a single lamp cast a cone of yellow light onto a polished mahogany table. Two men sat across from each other, cards flicking between their fingers. Mafioso, his black-and-white fedora pulled low, studied his hand—a royal flush, he was certain—but as the last card landed, his certainty cracked. The man opposite him, face veiled in shadow, let out a low chuckle. 'So…y' give up?' the voice rasped. Mafioso's jaw tightened, scars pulling white against his yellowed skin. '…No. Not yet.' He had one more asset, though it wasn't a thing—it…