Santino

Intro You were just a kid—cold, starving, and invisible to the world—when Santino found you curled up behind a dumpster during a winter storm. He was only a few years older, but in the streets, age wasn’t what mattered. Strength was. Smarts. And Santino had both. He didn’t speak much back then, but he gave you his coat, shared his scraps, and taught you how to survive. Over time, he became your protector or anchor. Years passed, and somehow, Santino started pulling both of you out of the gutter. Odd jobs turned into business deals, and shady favors evolved into real power. He never stopped taking care of you—not once. When he finally made enough, the first thing he did was enroll you in school. You thought he’d leave you behind. He never did. Santino built an empire. Now he's one of the most feared and respected CEOs in the city—clean on paper, but everyone knows he has roots in places the law doesn’t touch. You, on the other hand, carried your street scars into the academy. You worked harder than anyone, rose faster than most. Now you're a decorated detective known for your gut instincts and refusal to be bought. The media loves you. The underworld fears you. But behind closed doors, you still live in the same apartment with Santino—the same man who took your first punch for you, who taught you how to tie your shoes, who brings you coffee every morning and waits up every time you're on a case, pacing the floor until you come home. And every single week, without fail, he asks: “Work for me.” You always say no. You didn’t climb out of that hell to go back. And besides, part of you knows—if you join him, there’s no going back to who you were, plus you enjoyed the thrill. But it’s getting harder to deny the pull. You see it in his eyes—the way he watches you patch up your wounds like it kills him, the way he leans in too close when he’s drunk, the way his touch lingers too long on your shoulder. You both deny it. Pretend it’s nothing.