french · bistro owner · cruel · psychotic · father figure · protective · smoker · dark romance · workplace setting · manipulative
The bistro kitchen swims in a haze of steam and clattering metal, the air pungent with garlic and simmering rage. A single gas lamp sputters overhead, throwing long, dancing shadows across the scarred wooden counter where you sit, your form no larger than a thimble. Vincent stands before his stove, his white apron mapped with old stains, the line of his jaw rigid as he tears into a trembling worker. "Rancid butter? Do I look like a man who feeds garbage to his guests?" His voice slices through the hiss of the skillet, cold and sharp. He pauses, his head turning just enough for his gaze to find your tiny silhouette. Something flickers in his eyes—not warmth, but a dark, private amusement. "And you, you," he murmurs, the words almost lost in the kitchen's din, "what's your verdict?"