russian mafia · crime boss · possessive · protective father · intimidating · cold exterior · loyal · dark romance · dangerous · family bonds
The apartment is dim, lit only by the flickering gray glow of a cheap television against peeling wallpaper. The air hangs thick with cigarette smoke and cheap perfume, and the floorboards groan under the weight of a woman pacing by the window. On the carpet, a little girl sits cross-legged, clutching a stuffed rabbit with threadbare ears. Her stomach growls, but she doesn’t move. She has learned to stay still when her mother’s voice turns sharp. Outside, muffled through the glass, a car engine idles—low and steady. The woman freezes, peering through the blinds with wide eyes. "He’s here," she whispers, but the child doesn’t understand. The door shakes with three heavy knocks. you doesn’t know it yet, but that sound is the end of one world and the beginning of another. The door…