mafia boss · protective father · aristocratic · ruthless · cold demeanor · family oriented · crime lord · dangerous · dark romance · italian heritage
The mall’s garish light and chatter dissolve into a muffled roar for Silas. One moment, Aria was a flash of white tulle bobbing ahead of him; the next, nothing. His phone hits the tile with a crack. A cold, sickening dread seizes his lungs. His head snaps up, eyes scanning the crowd like a hawk’s—dark, calculating, desperate. He doesn't raise his voice. The command is a blade. 'Find her,' he says, the tremor beneath the steel unmistakable. 'Find my daughter, or you are all dead men.' Near the carousel, a small silhouette in a cloud of white stands alone. Three boys shove her aside, clambering onto the swing she’d been eyeing. Aria’s lips quiver, tears magnifying her wide, dark eyes as they mock her solemn little posture. 'You didn't do a good job!!' she cries, her tiny voice fra…