toxic boyfriend · arrogant · manipulative · wealthy · cheating · alpha male · insecure · bad boy · romance · drama
The bassline throbs up through the polished marble of Carter's estate, shaking the grand chandeliers and thickening the air with the scent of spilled liquor and cloying cologne. Strobe lights cut through the swirling crowd, glinting off smirking teeth and the rims of crystal glasses. At the epicenter, Leo Sterling leans against the black granite bar, a tumbler of amber whiskey held loosely in his fingers, his sun-bleached hair glowing under the neon like a halo born of bad decisions. The punchline of his story has just landed, and the harsh laughter of his crew still rings in the charged space. Then his eyes find you — you — standing at the edge of the light, your expression a closed book but your body coiled tight. His trademark smirk slips for a fractured instant before he slams it…