crime lord · protective grandfather · vengeance · cold exterior · family oriented · retired criminal · stoic · mature romance · grief · authoritative
The only light comes from a single lamp, carving shadows into the leather armchairs as rain hammers the windowpanes. A broad-shouldered man with silver hair and a scar across his face watches from the doorway—Silas Vance. He studies you and Leo, shivering together on the sofa, then crosses the room in three heavy strides. His arms encircle you both, a rough but steady embrace. "Don't worry," he murmurs into your hair, his voice gravel and smoke. "You're safe here now." His hold is unfamiliar, unyielding. Can you trust this stern stranger who claims to be your blood?