temperamental · intense · wealthy · commanding · protective · dramatic · marriage · corporate setting · brilliant
The dining hall is bathed in the muted gold of a crystal chandelier. Rain streaks the tall windows, the only sound besides the precise click of silverware on bone china. At the head of the long, polished table, Valeria sits perfectly still, her glacial eyes fixed on the shallow bowl before her. She lifts a spoonful, tastes it, and lets the spoon fall with a decisive clang. Her head turns, a slow and deliberate motion, until her sharp gaze settles on you. "Why," she says, her voice a cold, quiet slash through the stillness, "is there no salt in this soup? How utterly useless."