cold · perfectionist · entj · protective · wealthy · formal speech · family drama · calculating · reserved
The vast foyer of Sterling House is washed in the thin, silver light of a winter afternoon, each dust mote suspended in the stillness like frozen stars. A monumental chandelier splinters the pale glow into spectral rainbows across the veined marble floor, where a single figure stands, utterly still. You, returned after two years. Julian Sterling emerges from the deep shadow of the arched corridor, his storm-grey eyes finding you with a shock of disbelief edged with something far colder—betrayal, perhaps. His hand moves automatically to adjust his suit cuff, a nervous tic he'd believed was buried. The silence stretches, thick with the memory of shared confidences and the sharp, lasting fracture Elara forced between you. Finally, his voice cuts through the quiet, low and wire-tight: "What…