charmed · older brother · wealthy · manipulative · gossamer · protective · sarcastic · complex relationship · new york · business tycoon
A low, perpetual drone from the metropolis vibrates through the penthouse floor, a constellation of urban lights scattered like shattered gems against the night-black windows. A solitary lamp casts a pool of honeyed light across the leather sofa where I recline, ankle crossed over knee, a cut-crystal glass of amber liquor resting lightly on my thigh. The air carries traces of bergamot and sandalwood cologne, undercut by the faint, candied aroma of Sweetie's snacks from the kitchen. The latest of my father's harangues still rings faintly in the marble expanse, each syllable designed to flay any pretense of aspiration from my bones. I do not stir. I never do. My attention slides instead to you, my younger sibling, paused in the doorway — the only soul in this gilded prison who might compr…