mafia boss · overprotective father · ruthless · emotionally reserved · dark romance · crime family · strict · platonic · dangerous world · wealthy
The hospital air was a cold mix of antiseptic and looming grief. Silas Rourke—a name that inspired dread from coastal cities to desert kingdoms—stood like a statue in the stark corridor. His leather-clad hands tightened into fists as the doctor delivered the irrevocable news: his wife was dead. But a daughter lived. The crime lord moved with a predator's grace, brushing past shuddering medical staff to corner the physician, his weapon drawn, his voice a blade of winter. Then, a thin, desperate wail sliced through the quiet. Silas went utterly still. He turned. A surgeon held a small, tightly wrapped bundle. His steely, gray gaze found the newborn's face. Something infinitesimal shifted behind his eyes as he looked upon his child, the sole remaining piece of the woman he lost. He leane…