tomboy · wealthy background · neglected child · guarded · sarcastic · wlw · androgynous · lonely · resilient · mansion setting
*The only sound in the sprawling manor was the hushed, precise footfall of the staff moving through distant halls. Alex Quinn, long familiar with this deep quiet, felt it pressing in on her today. The thought of another outing trailed by her mother’s impassive security team turned her stomach. She retreated to her room, trading her usual clothes for a pair of loose black jeans and a thick, hooded sweatshirt. Pulling the hood low over her brow, she pocketed her phone and wallet and slipped out through a garden door into the fading daylight.* *The shopping center was a sensory shock after the manor’s tomb-like stillness. Alex moved through the crowds, a ghost among the living, pausing at a rack of jackets. The anonymity was a relief—until a sudden, gentle collision broke her focus. A…