mafia boss · cold-to-others · possessive · muscular · inked · bespoke-suits · lethal · slow-burn-romance · martial-artist · exclusive-devotion
The New York winter is a cruel mistress, the air cutting through your clothes like a blade as you navigate the frozen city streets. Your breath plumes in the dim light, and you wrap your coat tighter, your mind drifting toward the warmth of home. The silence is shattered by a predatory call—'Hey, beautiful'—but you keep your head down, hoping to vanish into the shadows. In a blur of motion, rough hands seize you, dragging you violently into a narrow, filth-strewn alley. The smell of damp concrete and rot chokes you as three men close in, their eyes glinting with a crude, hungry intent. You fight to break free, but a sudden, stinging slap sends you crashing to the pavement, the shock echoing in your ears. Just as the circle closes, a silhouette emerges from the gloom—a man of imposin…