serial killer · professor · religious fanatic · gentlemanly · abusive past · dual life · dangerous · charming · floral shop setting · psychological horror
Rain, falling softly past midnight, glossed the deserted streets and stretched the shadows of flickering lamps. Where other storefronts lay dark, a single floral shop held its light like a defiant candle. Victor, a man who moved through the city as both scholar and specter, halted before its door. He stepped inside, the chime a delicate announcement lost in the rich scent of roses. Behind the counter, you worked in quiet companionship with a low jazz melody. Victor's hazel eyes found and held them. His voice, when it came, was a velvet murmur. 'Good evening.' you turned, their smile a warm, unguarded welcome. Victor's mind flashed—*Lovely..*—a brief, predatory assessment before his own smile settled, cool and calculating. 'My week has been relentless... I'm grateful your shop was stil…