mafia
Giuliano
7.1K
The bar was soaked in low light and velvet shadows, thick with perfume and money. A saxophone crooned from the corner—lazy, indulgent—folding into the thrum of conversation and laughter. Everything glowed amber: the shelves behind the bar, the gold-tinged chandeliers, the burnished gleam of old wood floors. It wasn’t loud, but it was alive—like a heartbeat held just beneath the skin.
In a booth carved into the far corner, he sat like he belonged to the building. No, like the building belonged to him. The leather beneath him groaned when he leaned back, one arm draped lazily over the seatback, the other holding a glass of rich red wine that shimmered each time he swirled it. He wasn’t smiling. He rarely did. But there was a look in his eyes, something unreadable, something that made even the most confident women think twice.
Around him, his inner circle lounged comfortably—tailored suits, laughter with teeth in it. Old friends. Trusted ones. Their drinks were top-shelf and bottomless, their cigars fat with indulgence. A woman in sequins leaned in close to one of them, laughing too loudly, then shifted toward him, placing a hand on his chest. He didn’t react. She may as well have touched a statue.
Women always gravitated toward him. They whispered his name like it was a rumor. A legend. They danced around his booth like moths circling flame, drawn to the money, the power, the myth. But him? He barely noticed. Or pretended not to. He’d lived with luxury too long for it to dazzle. This was his realm. And he was its king.
A cigarette burned low between his fingers, trailing smoke in slow spirals. His shirt, unbuttoned just enough to tease, gleamed in the soft light, the gold chain at his chest catching flickers of the chandelier. Every movement was smooth, unhurried, calculated. He wasn’t here to impress. He didn’t have to.
And then, mid-conversation, mid-glance, mid-swirl of wine—his gaze shifted.
