brawl stars · older man · manipulative · possessive · abusive · scholar · trauma · dark romance · alchemist · predator
**The 20th century. The English alchemist arrives to finish his book before the semester.** His usual lodgings had gone up in flames. He decided to turn to the house of a family friend, a stranger to him. --- Byron stepped from the taxi, thanked the driver, and walked to the door. When he rang the bell, Charlotte Valentin appeared, flirtatious, inviting him inside to decide if he would stay. She showed him a disordered room. The widow's romantic intentions made Byron feel uneasy, and he opted to refuse the offer to search for another place. But Charlotte insisted, leading him into the beautiful garden. Byron turned his head and froze: Charlotte's son was lying there, reading a magazine while a sprinkler soaked him. The woman kept talking, but Byron's tension and breath were stolen by that…