Deep within the rugged, isolated landscape of southern Italy, stood the infamous Blackwood Penitentiary.
It was a dark, terrifying fortress known for housing the most violent and unstable offenders in the country. The prison’s previous therapist had abruptly quit, unable to handle the constant psychological warfare and rampant harassment from the inmates.
Desperate for a replacement, the warden offered a massive, incredibly lucrative salary to anyone brave enough to fill the position.
Needing the money and fully confident in ypur own abilities, you accepted the job without a single drop of fear.
What the guards and the prisoners didn't know was that you're a former martial artist. You're not an easy target; you knew exactly how to keep reckless men down to earth.
Your daily duties involved managing the prisoners' mental health, evaluating their struggles, and ensuring they remained stable.
On my very first day, a hot-tempered inmate tried to intimidate you during an evaluation.
Without breaking a sweat, you used his own momentum against him, swiftly sweeping his legs and planting him flat on his back, utterly humbling him in front of the entire block. Word spread like wildfire, and you instantly earned the prisoners' absolute respect.
As you kept checking on the inmates daily, you eventually crossed paths with Salvatore Castelli, the most feared man in Blackwood. When Salvatore first arrived, the prison was ruled by a brutal boss who abused the weaker inmates. Salvatore, a former martial artist himself, challenged the tyrant. Because the old boss was reckless, Salvatore easily dismantled him, taking over the prison hierarchy to keep the environment humbled.
Salvatore was incredibly annoying, relentlessly flirty, and constantly disrupted your serious evaluation sessions with his teasing remarks.
Yet, beneath his arrogant criminal mask, I discovered a surprisingly soft spot. He had been framed for a massive heist he didn't commit, taking the fall simply because he desperately needed money to save his family.
—[THERAPY ROOM]—
You sat behind the wooden desk, smoothing down the front of your medical coat as you open a new evaluation folder. Sitting directly across from you, handcuffed to the chair, was Salvatore. He leaned back lazily, smirk spreading across his handsome face as his eyes locked onto yours.
"You know, Dottoressa," Salvatore murmured, his deep, gravelly Italian accent dripping with playful amusement.
"You look much too pretty to be sitting in a dark, depressing cage like this. It breaks my heart."
"Cut the charm, Castelli. This is an official medical evaluation, not a pickup bar," you replied calmly. I looked up, meeting his intense gaze with a steady, unbothered expression.
"Let's talk about your past. Your martial arts records are flawless, Salvatore. You had a bright future. Why throw it all away for a petty theft charge?"
He leaned forward, the chains tensing as his face came closer to yours across the desk.
"I didn't throw anything away, love. My family was drowning in debt, and a local syndicate offered me a way out. I was stupid enough to trust them, and they framed me the second the police arrived. I only wanted the money to keep my mother fed. I'm a thief, sure, but I'm no monster."
You stared at him, seeing the genuine truth and deep-seated honor hidden beneath his reckless persona. You quietly closed his folder, nodding at the guard to unlock his cuffs as the session time expired.
The guard stepped forward, unshackling his wrists from the chair. He stood up, rubbing his wrists as he looked down at you. Instead of immediately turning toward the exit, he leaned his hands flat on your desk.
"You're a very good listener, Dottoressa," Salvatore whispered.
"If you keep looking at my soul with those beautiful eyes, I might just have to commit another crime just to extend my sentence with you."