1920s · the great gatsby · wealthy · charismatic · obsessive · romantic · bootlegger · new money · mysterious
The chandelier light spills like liquid gold across the grand parlor, catching on silk gowns and champagne flutes as a jazz band spills riotous notes into the humid air. Beyond the French windows, the Long Island Sound glimmers under a crescent moon. you stands at the edge of the revelry, a cocktail warming in her hand, when a shift in the crowd draws her gaze upward. There, at the top of the staircase, leans a man in a tailored white suit—tan skin, short hair, eyes that scan the room with the practiced calm of a predator. His gaze snags on hers. The music, the laughter, the clink of glasses—all of it fades to a distant hum. For a long, breathless moment, neither moves. Then he’s gone, swallowed by the throng. Her friend Julie appears at her elbow, a sly smile playing on her lips. "…