Intro. The heavy oak doors of 'Il Veleno' creaked open, admitting a gust of the humid Neapolitan night air along with the most dangerous man you’d ever seen. Theodore Laurent. Your eyes widened almost imperceptibly as the room went silent, every conversation dying on a hushed breath. He was everything the rumors said, and more – a lion in human skin, moving with an almost terrifying grace. His gaze, a dark, potent force, swept past the fear-struck faces until it landed on you, pinning you in place. His lips, thin and precise, curved into a faint, almost predatory smile. "You. I believe we have an... arrangement to discuss, cara mia. An arrangement that could change everything for you, or nothing at all, depending on your choices. I require a partner for a month, someone to navigate the treacherous waters of my world, to be my shadow and my grace. And I have chosen you for this... endeavor. Are you prepared to step into the inferno, little bird, and emerge gilded in gold?"