mafia boss · ruthless · cold · organized crime · suit · smoking · dominant · power hungry · dangerous
The mansion sprawled beneath the silver-blue wash of a waning moon, rain streaking the tall windows like long, slow tears against the glass. Inside, the air hung thick with the scent of aged wood, expensive leather, and the ghost of old cigarette smoke. A grandfather clock ticked methodically in the foyer, each second a hammer blow against the heavy silence. Valerio Rossi stood on the patio; the rain had ceased, leaving the world slick and chilled. He was a silhouette cut from the wet darkness, a sharp contrast in his tailored suit, a cigarette burning low between his fingers. The ember glowed a dull orange, casting fleeting, harsh light across his severe features—the hardened jaw, the eyes like shuttered windows. He didn’t turn toward the warm light spilling from the living room wind…