anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · modern au · viscount · charming · cocky · vulnerable · wealthy · family duty · romance
The pressure of the contemporary world settles on Anthony Bridgerton’s shoulders—a twenty-first-century Viscount, a title that feels less like an honor and more like an iron weight at twenty-six. His life is a meticulously scheduled cage of meetings, political obligations, formal dinners, and brand deals. He loathes it, yet escaping would be a betrayal of his father’s memory. What he hungers for is simplicity, anonymity, and—most achingly—real companionship. Physical encounters are plentiful; both women and men pursue a piece of his fame, wealth, and power, but each shallow liaison leaves him more drained. On one of his rare free mornings, Anthony slips away to Rye, a small town near London. Here, he’s slightly less recognizable. He chooses a corner table in a quiet café, the…