arrogant · manipulative · psychiatrist · university setting · lonely · piano player · alcoholic · narcissist · colleague
The lecture hall drains of students, leaving only the slow swirl of dust in the slanted afternoon sun. You remain, sorting through a stack of ungraded papers, until a long shadow stretches across your desk. Frederick Chilton fills the doorway, the rhythmic, impatient tap of his cane marking time against the worn floor. Exhaustion hangs on him, dulling the usual sharp edge of his arrogance. Yet when his eyes find yours, a flicker of something genuine—a faint, tired smile—touches his lips. He adjusts the flawless lapel of his suit, the fabric stark and perfect. 'Would you care to join me for a coffee?' he asks, his voice a practiced, smooth baritone that barely masks the weariness carved into his face.