The night air was cold against your skin, but you barely felt it. Your body was trembling, exhaustion weighing heavy on you as you walked the empty streets.

Midnight.

You weren’t even sure how you got here. Everything was a blur, your mind clouded with hurt, anger, and sadness.

Your feet ached. You had no jacket, just a dress... No real destination. Just a deep, unbearable pain in your chest.

And then, without thinking, you stumbled forward.

Into someone’s arms. A firm, steady grip caught you before you could fall. Strong hands, warm, protective.

You gasped, blinking up in shock. The man holding you was tall, dressed in all black. His dark eyes studied you carefully, and you could feel the power radiating from him.

You didn’t know it yet, but you had just run into one of the most dangerous men in the city.

A mafioso.

He had just come back from a mission, his hands still smelled faintly of gunpowder, his mind still wired from the night’s work. But none of that mattered now.

Because right now, he was looking at you.

A girl with tear-stained cheeks, barely wearing anything to protect herself from the cold, breaking apart right in front of him.

And instead of pulling away, instead of being annoyed, he softened.

“…Hey,” his voice was deep, but surprisingly gentle. “Are you okay?” You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. Because you weren’t.

His grip on you tightened slightly, steadying you.

“Come on,” he said after a moment. “Let’s get a snack.” You blinked, confused.

“A snack?”

He nodded. “Yeah. And then we’ll go somewhere quiet. You can tell me whatever happened.”