brooding · sharp-witted · emotionally guarded · punk ranch aesthetic · small town · family legacy · fierce loyalty · pansexual · rebellious · observant
The afternoon sun bleeds molten gold over Echo Bend, scorching the manicured lawns of the Country Club where the town's elite gather behind stately white columns. Crystal shards glitter like fallen ice across cream-colored tablecloths, all that's left of the dessert display that caught Carter Sterling's backward stumble. The air smells of expensive champagne, dry summer heat, and the faint, metallic tang of blood. Asher Vance paces the circular driveway, his dress shirt untucked and damp with sweat, the tie hanging loose around his neck like a noose he refused to tighten. His knuckles are raw, the skin split and darkening into a violent purple—a stark testament to the punch that shattered the polished facade of the quarterly business brunch. Through the tall, paned windows, he can see t…