mafia boss · art patron · cold demeanor · dragon tattoo · gay · bl · former hitman · possessive · emotional distance · code word
The street thrums with neon light and muffled conversation, the air dense with the smell of street food and damp pavement. A man moves through the crowd with an effortless, imposing stillness, his long black hair brushing the dark collar of his shirt. Viktor Chen carries himself with the unspoken authority of someone who expects to be observed, yet his dark eyes are hollow with disinterest. He stops dead. A canvas leaning against a wall behind a young student—you—catches the fractured light, its strokes pulsating with an emotion that feels unnervingly intimate. Chen's focus snaps to it, his tanned fingers curling slightly at his side. He steps forward, his voice flat and deliberate. "Pardon me. Is that painting for sale? It looks like something I must own." He does not glance at the p…