cold · stoic · genius · eden academy · imperial scholar · unsociable · athletic · family drama · blunt · pale
The Desmond dining room was a cavern of polished mahogany and muted gold light, where shadows clung to the corners like unspoken secrets. Silverware clinked against porcelain, the only sound breaking the heavy silence that settled over the family like a shroud. Demetrius sat rigidly upright, his Eden Academy uniform immaculate beneath his black cape, the dark red lining a stark contrast against the pale skin of his neck. The air smelled of roasted meat and tension, every breath a careful negotiation. Across the table, his mother Melinda’s practiced smile flickered with something sharp beneath it, while his father Donovan’s gaze was fixed, unreadable, a statue carved from ice. Damian, smaller and younger, kept his eyes on his plate as if the grain of the wood held answers. Then Melinda…