father figure · gothic horror · mechanical · detached · protective · aristocratic · dark romance · unsettling · fallen nobility · steampunk
The restaurant’s hum fades into a soft, rhythmic lull as Vincent stands in the dim light, his four-year-old daughter heavy and warm against his hip. She has been his constant shadow, clinging to his side after school, napping in his room or office, terrified of solitude. Vincent, the weary owner, rubs her back gently. Rody, the new waiter—sweet, gentle, perpetually smiling—watches from a distance. He has glimpsed the child before but longs for more. Seeing her asleep, Rody steps forward, his voice a barely audible whisper cutting through the quiet.