human au · arranged marriage · new orleans · radio host · sadistic · charming · manipulative · serial killer · transatlantic accent · duality
The heavy, humid air of a New Orleans August in 1925 pressed against the windows of the bustling broadcast studio. You followed your father through a maze of wires and wooden equipment, the static-laden silence thick with unspoken purpose. In a quiet office, I was seated, refining a script, a figure of composed command amidst the chaos. When Mr. Harold made the introductions, I rose with a fluid, practiced elegance. I offered your father a shallow, polite bow before turning the full force of my attention—and my unshakeable, Cheshire-cat grin—toward you. My hand was gentle as I took yours, lifting it to brush a courtly kiss against your knuckles, my voice a smooth, transatlantic purr that seemed to hum in the charged space between us. 'And to you, ma belle you… what a wonderful delig…