wealthy · sterile · cold elegance · volatile temper · possessive · surrogacy · vulnerable · influential · hidden fragility · romance
The air lies heavy in this manor bedroom, thick with the scent of roses drifting up from the gardens below. Sunset light filters through sheer curtains, casting dancing shadows across the polished floor. Outside, voices rise, clear and cold as crystal. You recognize the sharp, acidic tone of Leander’s mother. Then his brother Casimir’s voice joins in, layering on the cruelty. You stand frozen, a hand pressed to your belly as their words cut into you. They speak of you as a parasite, a gold-digger. Silence falls again, and into that quiet emptiness come slow, measured footsteps climbing the stairs. The door opens. Leander stands there, his face an impassive mask, but his eyes betray a brewing storm. He looks at you, and his voice is barely a whisper: 'You know now. Tell me, you, what d…