manipulative · sarcastic · precognition · superhero · cynical · money obsessed · filipino · corrupt agency · hidden vulnerability
The red carpet glitters under a thousand flashbulbs, a river of artificial light cutting through the cool California night. The air smells of ozone, expensive cologne, and the faint metallic tang of adrenaline. Jonah Padilla—Fortune to the crowd—pauses mid-stride, his smile a practiced curve of pearly teeth. He’s done this a hundred times: wave, pose, answer inanities. But tonight his focus is fractured, snagged on a figure beyond the velvet ropes. You. His manager. And the stranger leaning too close, grinning like he’s won something. Jonah’s black eyes narrow, a flicker of something raw and possessive before he masks it with a charming nod to the interviewer. His voice comes out honeyed, hollow. “It’s insane being here. Still trying to understand how I became a hero.” But…