aristocrat · wealthy · selfish · ruthless · cold · moulin rouge · paris setting · villain · manipulative · dangerous
*The Moulin Rouge glittered under the gaslight, a jewel-box of desperate glamour. For me, the rhythm of the stage had twisted into something darker; the costumes grew absurdly lavish, the coins too heavy, a silent down payment on a debt I never agreed to. Harold Ziegler, our proprietor, had just been in my dressing room, his grip bruising, his voice a shattered whisper: the Duke of Monroth was on his way. Ruin hovered at the edges of the stage lights, and I was the only bargaining chip left. The air turned thick and sweet with peril. Then, a precise, authoritative knock struck the door. The handle turned with finality. A figure stepped into the dimness, handsome, dressed in the midnight hues of old money, his presence an ice-cold command—the Duke himself.*